SINGAPORE – The Housing and Development Board (HDB) will test a new type of rental housing for low-income singles, it announced on Monday (March 13).

The project will allow low-income singles to live in their own rooms but share toilets and kitchens. The trial, called Single Room Shared Facilities (SRSF), is scheduled to start in late 2023.

According to HDB, the SRSF aims to “give tenants more privacy while providing them with companionship and support.” In this new typology, each tenant will have their own bedroom, equipped with basic amenities such as a wardrobe, table, wall shelves and a small refrigerator.

The rental room is about nine square meters in size and tenants also have access to shared facilities such as toilets – about twelve people share one bathroom and 24 people share a shared kitchen with simple stoves on each floor as well as laundry and activity rooms.

The new public rental typology will be piloted at the former Anderson Junior College dormitory at Ang Mo Kio Ave 8, which is available for interim use, HDB said. The site consists of two 11-storey buildings with about 240 residential units, which will be fully subdivided to create 480 single rooms.

Singles can apply individually under a new scheme – the current public tenancy eligibility criteria for singles will still apply – the HDB added. An operator will be appointed to manage the site, including managing tenancy matters, providing social support to tenants and furnishing and maintaining the premises.

Further details will be announced in due course.

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