Helping You Relocate to Singapore
Relocating to Singapore should be a continuation of your desired lifestyle. Our experienced consultants are here to serve every individual expatriate personally. Being a team of professional expats having lived, breathed & worked in Singapore for many years, you can rely on SEPE to assist and guide you in every aspect of Singapore Expat living. Apart from just assisting you in your housing needs, we will guide you on all Singapore-living related topics including immigration, schooling, socializing, and employment opportunities.
Please Note: SEPE has available ALL current properties in Singapore for Rent or Sale. Please click on our"Contact Us" Tab to send us your requirements, so we can advise you on the current available properties that suit your needs.
The property search process (rental):
Step 1 - Initial contact & introduction
Please fill in the 'contact us' form & email to us so we can then assign an SEPE consultant to assist you. They will then call you to discuss in more depth your full specific requirements etc. Your consultant can also provide you with some sample property information/listings prior to your arrival, to give you a feel of what is actually currently available at that point in time.
Step 2 - Arrival in Singapore & the physical viewings
Upon confirmation of your arrival, your consultant will fix a date for your first session of actual viewings for consideration. They will then endeavour to arrange the viewing appointments accordingly. Some people stay in a hotel or serviced apartment until we find your property - you may also be waiting for your personal effects to be shipped. FYI properties here can be occupied immediately/within a few days, or we can negotiate that you start the lease at a mutually agreed date in the future (Normally within a month to a month and a half)
Step 3 - The offer
Once your consultant has found a property that suits your requirements (or you may have shortlisted 1 or 2 options), they will then have to make a verbal offer(s) to the landlord(s) for their consideration. This will include rental price, commencement date and any special requests. Standard leases here are for 2 years with a break clause for you to get out by giving 2 months notice after one year, should you be re-patriated or leave the company.
Step 4 - The letter of intent (LOI)
Upon verbal agreement from the landlord on the offer, your consultant will have to draft a document called an LOI. This will include the landlord's details, the tenant's details, start date, rental amount & any requirements that were mutually verbally agreed. This document has to be signed by both parties, after which a cheque or bank transfer of two months rental security deposit has to be issued to the landlord to secure the property. Until this has been received the property is still on the market, hence we have to move quickly, to avoid risking the chance of losing it to another potential tenant.
Step 5 - The tenancy agreement (TA)
After the LOI has been signed and deposits received, we can then go into the tenancy agreement (TA). They are standard here in Singapore and protect both parties on an equal basis. Once both parties have signed the TA, the document is then stamped by the relevant governing bodies to say it is a legal document. The cost for this is a standard calculated formula we use here (it is approximately 9% of your monthly rental fee). Once this has been conducted Stamp Certificates will be issued to both parties, to be kept along with the Tenancy Agreement. Your consultant will also apply for your monthly utilities to provide your property with water, gas & electricity. This will be billed on a monthly basis to you.
Step 6 -Handover of property
On the lease commencement date, your consultant will meet you at the property to do the official handover with your landlord. This is where we will conduct a full inspection of the place and check off the inventory of fixtures, fittings & furniture. The inventory is then acknowledged, signed & accepted by both parties to be kept along with the TA. Keys and access cards, user manuals, car-parking keys etc are all handed over.
Enjoy your new home!!!
Additional SEPE Services offered
Tenancy Management
Moving Services
Car Leasing
Orientation Programmes
Air-Con Maintenance Contracts
Maid Service
Pest control
Swimming Pool Maintenance
Property Finance
The Property Purchase Process:
Step 1 - Initial Contact & Introduction
Please fill in the 'Contact Us' form & email to us so we can then assign an SEPE consultant to assist you. They will then call you to discuss in more depth your full specific requirements etc. Your consultant can also provide you with some sample property information/listings, to give you a feel of what is actually currently available for sale at that point in time.
Step 2 - The Physical Viewings
After narrowing down some potential properties within your budget & requirements, your consultant will fix a mutually agreed date & timing for your first session of actual viewings for your consideration.
Step 3 - The Offer
After all the viewings have been undertaken & you have made a decision on a property you would like to purchase, the consultant will then have to make a verbal offer to the current owner for their consideration.
Step 4 - The Option To Purchase (OTP)
Upon verbal agreement from the owner on the offer, the owner will have to prepare a document called an OTP. This will include the property details, owner & purchaser details, purchase amount, sellers lawyer details & any other conditions of sale that were mutually/verbally agreed. This document has to be signed by the owner & will only be passed to you in exchange for your cheque/bank transfer of 1% of the purchase price to secure the property (commonly known as the "Option Fee" which is non-refundable)
Step 5 - Exercising Of The Option To Purchase (OTP)
With your OTP in hand you will then need to go and "Exercise the Option" at your lawyers office within 14 days from the option date. This will involve you signing the acceptance part & paying a further 15% of the purchase price (so total purchase price paid is 20% within 14 days) the balance of 80% is payable upon completion of the transaction.
Step 6 - Lawyers Conveyancing, Stamp Duty, Sales & Purchase Agreement (S&P)
Both the sellers & purchasers lawyers will now do all the necessary conveyancing, exchanging of the relevant documentation to transfer the title deeds to the new owner (this process normally takes about another 8-10 weeks, however this can be quicker if the purchaser is paying the whole amount in cash (E.g. doesn't have a loan from bank).
In Singapore all properties here have a government stamp duty fee payable by the purchaser to the Inland Revenue of Singapore (IRAS) The standard stamp duty amount is 3% of the purchase price, however there are additional buyer stamp duties (ABSD) fees applicable, that would also apply depending on your nationality/number of properties (Please check with your consultant on this)
Step 7 - Completion Of Purchase
Upon the full completion of all documentation you will then have a final meeting with your lawyers to sign off and collect all the documents & keys for your property.
Moving to Singapore is a daunting task, there is no way around it, and we understand this. It is not just the logistics and moving but also finding a place to live once you arrive here. If you require housing for moving to Singapore, you have a lot of possibilities. But which one will comfort your needs the most?
We make sure that homes are well-maintained and ready for occupancy whenever you arrive since we realize how vital it is for your new home to be pleasant and handy for everyday living! For those moving to Singapore, we offer apartments. We take up the job in locating housing that will boost you to socialize and prosper while you are here.
Our website has property listings so you can see exactly what your new home will look like before you move in. The kind of property you are looking for should be your priority and we are here to make it happen. Do you desire a home or an apartment for rent Singapore? If so, we advise you to look at our listings, which features a wide variety of homes in Singapore.
