Residential Property and Business Owners' Guidelines
Understand your obligations as a private residential property owner or business owner. Find out about planning permission needed for renovations, change of use, as well as home-based business schemes.
Last updated 18 August 2026
Residential Property
Find information related to buying and renting out private residential properties.
Buying Property
Ensure your property is compliant before purchase - check approved plans, avoid unauthorised works, and review key considerations like eligibility, finances, and agent engagement.
Renovating Private Residential Property
Depending on the type of your property (e.g. detached house or flat) and the nature of the renovation works (e.g. room extension, earthcut or earthfill), you may need to apply for a planning permission. Find out if you need to obtain planning permission to renovate your private residential property.
Renting Property
If you own a private residential property and wish to rent it out, you are encouraged to retain the approved internal layout. You must also adhere to the following rules.
Short-Term Accommodation
All residential properties in Singapore (e.g. condominiums, walk up apartments, flats, bungalows, semi-detached and terrace houses) are intended for long-term residence. Under the law, they are not allowed to be used for short-term accommodation – defined as stays of less than three consecutive months.
Business Owners
Are you looking for a suitable premises for your business? Before you commit to buy or lease a premises, you are advised to check as each premises has its own intended and allowable uses. It cannot be used for any other purpose or activity unless there is planning permission from URA to change the use of a premises.
Changing the Use of Your Property
Changing the use of your property (e.g. from a shop to a commercial school) may require planning permission. Find out if you need to obtain planning permission before committing to a tenancy or starting the renovation works on the premises.
Change of Use Lodgment
The Change of Use Lodgment Scheme allows certain uses in selected buildings to be granted instant approval upon an application with URA.
Renewal of Use
This applies to existing uses that were approved on Temporary Permission.
Planning to start a business in a shophouse?
Use this to check the allowable and the last approved uses for all shophouses in Singapore. The information provided is based on the planning guidelines and records at the date of enquiry.
Carrying out a business in your residential property
Home-Based Business Scheme
Under this scheme, you can run other types of small-scale home-based businesses from your residential premises, without any non-resident employee, subject to the prevailing conditions of use.
Home Office Scheme
Under the Home Office Scheme, you can operate small-scale offices or run the administrative functions of your business from your residential premises, with up to two non-resident employees, subject to the prevailing conditions of use.