Why Singapore Is Exploring Build-to-Rent Housing, and What It Could Mean for Young Adults

Under a BTR model, a block or development is built specifically to be rented out long term, usually by a single owner and operator, instead of being sold unit by unit. Long-stay serviced apartments piloted in 2023 were an early step in this direction. National Development Minister Chee Hong Tat said in August that the authorities were looking at the model to widen housing options.

The Straits Times spoke to young adults who chose to rent while waiting for their own home. One married couple waiting about three years for a BTO flat in Tanah Merah rents a three-room flat in Ang Mo Kio for between S$2,200 and S$2,500 a month, about a quarter of their combined take-home pay. A single professional rented a room in Pinnacle@Duxton for S$1,150 a month before buying a resale flat in Clementi for S$790,000, using CPF savings and housing grants. Another renter in her late thirties pays S$2,000 a month for a room in a Sengkang condo while applying for a BTO flat as a single.

Their reasons are similar: privacy, independence and being close to work. Some sociologists see renting as an interim step that need not delay ownership, provided the costs are planned for.

Private rents remain high. In the first eight months of 2026, the median monthly rent for non-landed private homes was S$5.24 psf, ranging from S$4.58 psf outside the city to S$5.92 psf in the Core Central Region. Analysts said a BTR scheme would need a clear value proposition, such as rents set at a discount to the market median, to attract young renters. A recent co-living pilot drew interest from more than 600 Singaporeans aged 21 to 35 for just over 100 units priced at about 30 per cent below market.