How much does a tenant agent usually charge?

Market practice tends to land around half a month to one month of rent for a successful tenant-side placement. That is custom, not law, so negotiate it. Fill in the commission amount, the GST and the renewal and extension language before the viewings start piling up — afterwards you have no leverage left.

My agent wants commission again on renewal — do I owe it?

It depends on what your agency agreement actually says. Plenty of them already set out something like half a month per 12 months on renewal, and you are bound by that if you signed it. If the agent is only asserting an industry standard with no written clause behind it, push back — CEA’s position is that rates are negotiable and have to be agreed.

Can I renew directly with the landlord to dodge the renewal fee?

Not if you are still bound by a written renewal clause. That is a contract fight rather than a CEA morality play, and it is not a fight you are likely to win. If you want free renewals, strike the renewal commission line before you sign the agency agreement — month 22 is far too late to start the conversation.

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Tenant agent commission and CEA agreements in Singapore

You only owe a tenant agent if you signed a CEA agency agreement, and there's no fixed legal rate. Settle renewal commission before you sign anything.

Arriving & Living4 min readReviewed 15 Sep 2026Updated 20 Sep 2026

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r/askSingapore rental threads recycle the same two shocks: "my tenant agent wants half a month again on renewal", and "do I even need an agent?" Start here. Singapore has no fixed legal commission rate. What you owe is whatever you put your name to in a CEA prescribed Estate Agency Agreement, and if you never appointed anyone and only ever dealt with the landlord's agent, the answer may well be nothing at all.

The two different people in your WhatsApp

The landlord's agent lists the unit, runs the viewings and drafts the TA for the owner. By market norm, the landlord pays them. Your tenant agent searches, negotiates and represents you, and you pay that one, but only if you signed an agency agreement. Two separate jobs, two separate loyalties. The fact that both are being equally friendly to you in the same chat doesn't merge them.

Then there's dual commission, which is the one to watch for. It is illegal for a single agent to collect from both sides of the same deal, and CEA is explicit that agents cannot take commission from more than one party in the same transaction. If someone asks you to "top up quietly", walk away from the deal rather than negotiating the amount. Pay the agency rather than cash into an individual's personal PayNow, and get an official receipt for it.

Before anyone "helps you find a place"

Decide whether you need a tenant agent at all. Plenty of expats view through PropertyGuru and 99.co and deal with the listing agents directly.
If you do want representation, insist on a CEA prescribed Estate Agency Agreement, exclusive or non-exclusive, before the viewings start piling up. Afterwards you have no leverage left.
Fill in the commission amount, the GST, and the renewal and extension language. That last one is where the money hides, and blank fields are a red flag rather than an oversight to tidy up later.
Understand that an exclusive agreement can leave you liable even if you later close "yourself" with a party the agent introduced during the validity window. CEA's consumer pages carry the exclusive versus non-exclusive comparison.

Market practice tends to land around half a month to one month of rent for a successful tenant-side placement. That's custom, not law. Negotiate it.

The renewal commission trap

Forum heat spikes when the year-two renewal turns up with an invoice nobody was expecting. It almost always comes down to one of three things.

Sometimes the agency agreement already said ½ month per 12 months on renewal, or something close to it, and you signed that on day one without reading past the headline number. Sometimes the agent simply claims "industry standard" with no written clause behind it at all, which is worth pushing back on, because CEA's position is that rates are negotiable and have to be agreed. And sometimes you renewed directly with the landlord to dodge the fee while still bound by a written renewal clause. That last one is a contract fight rather than a CEA morality play, and it's not a fight you're likely to win.

If you want free renewals, strike the renewal commission line before you sign the agency agreement. Month 22 is far too late to start the conversation.

Stamp duty is not agent commission

Lease duty goes to IRAS and has nothing to do with your agent's fee. Agents may help you stamp and then bill you for reimbursement, and CEA notes that agents must not collect the stamp fee from clients before stamping. Keep the Stamp Certificate somewhere you'll find it again. Full rates are in renting process and stamp duty.

When an agent genuinely earns the fee

There are real cases for one. A first landing, where school radius and HDB eligibility confusion are hitting you at the same time as jet lag. A multi-offer weekend, where LOI hygiene is what decides who gets the unit. A landlord who has rewritten the TA well away from the CEA templates.

What an agent is not is a lawyer, and they're not your ongoing repair desk after handover either. Inventory and fair-wear fights live in the TA: see inventory and fair wear and diplomatic clause and deposits.

The short version

Verify CEA registration before anything else, and don't pay unlicensed "friend of a friend" finders. Get the commission and the renewal terms in writing, and never assume the landlord's agent is quietly working for you. Pay the agency and keep the receipt, rather than dual-paying the same agent under the table. And stamp the TA within IRAS's clocks instead of treating stamp duty as an optional extra.

Next: LOI to TA to deposits, and moving within Singapore for when you change units without replaying the year-one fees.

One for families: agent viewing Sundays have a habit of landing on helper rest days. Name the covering adult before you agree to a full-day viewing crawl.

Questions, answered

Do I actually have to pay a tenant agent commission?: Only if you signed a CEA prescribed Estate Agency Agreement with one. Singapore has no fixed legal commission rate — what you owe is whatever you put your name to. If you never appointed anyone and only ever dealt with the landlord’s agent, the answer may well be nothing at all.
How much does a tenant agent usually charge?: Market practice tends to land around half a month to one month of rent for a successful tenant-side placement. That is custom, not law, so negotiate it. Fill in the commission amount, the GST and the renewal and extension language before the viewings start piling up — afterwards you have no leverage left.
Can one agent take commission from both me and the landlord?: No. It is illegal for a single agent to collect from both sides of the same deal, and CEA is explicit that agents cannot take commission from more than one party in the same transaction. If someone asks you to top up quietly, walk away from the deal rather than negotiating the amount. Pay the agency rather than cash into an individual’s personal PayNow, and get an official receipt.
My agent wants commission again on renewal — do I owe it?: It depends on what your agency agreement actually says. Plenty of them already set out something like half a month per 12 months on renewal, and you are bound by that if you signed it. If the agent is only asserting an industry standard with no written clause behind it, push back — CEA’s position is that rates are negotiable and have to be agreed.
Can I renew directly with the landlord to dodge the renewal fee?: Not if you are still bound by a written renewal clause. That is a contract fight rather than a CEA morality play, and it is not a fight you are likely to win. If you want free renewals, strike the renewal commission line before you sign the agency agreement — month 22 is far too late to start the conversation.
Is stamp duty part of what I pay the agent?: No. Lease duty goes to IRAS and has nothing to do with your agent’s fee. Agents may help you stamp and then bill you for reimbursement, and CEA notes that agents must not collect the stamp fee from clients before stamping. Keep the Stamp Certificate somewhere you will find it again.

Sources & citations

Admin and policy details change. Prefer the official page when making decisions; we cite primary sources for Singapore government and statutory guidance.