Usually not, unless your lease gives you one. Singapore has no statute giving commercial tenants a general right to renew or to stay on after the lease ends, so if your landlord refuses to renew, it normally does not have to give reasons. The main exception is a valid option to renew that you exercised exactly as the lease requires: if you met every condition and served notice in time, the landlord is generally bound to grant the further term. If you stay on after expiry without agreement, the Civil Law Act 1909 lets the landlord charge double rent or double value, so plan your position early.
Does a commercial tenant in Singapore have security of tenure?
Not in the statutory sense found in some other countries. There is no Singapore law that automatically extends a business lease, or that requires a landlord to justify a refusal to renew. Rent control, which once protected tenants of certain older premises, ended when the Control of Rent Act was repealed with effect from 1 April 2001.
For retail premises, the Lease Agreements for Retail Premises Act 2023 makes compliance with the Code of Conduct for Leasing of Retail Premises mandatory for qualifying leases signed from 1 February 2024, including renewals and extensions of at least one year. The Code regulates how lease terms are negotiated and what they may contain. It does not give a tenant a right to be renewed. We explain how the Code affects renewal negotiations in our guide on what a business tenant can do when the landlord raises the rent at renewal.
That means the answer to “can we stay?” turns on three things: the wording of your lease, what you have done under it, and what the landlord has said or done since.
When can a landlord’s refusal to renew be challenged?
| Your situation | Likely position | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| No option to renew in the lease | Landlord may refuse; you must leave at expiry unless a new deal is agreed | Negotiate or plan relocation now |
| Option exists, all conditions met, notice served correctly and on time | Landlord is generally bound to grant the further term on the option terms | Assert the option in writing and take legal advice promptly |
| Option exists but notice was late or in the wrong form | Option may be lost, as options are usually applied strictly | Check whether the landlord waived the defect; otherwise negotiate |
| Option exists but the landlord alleges breaches of covenant | Depends on the condition’s wording and the facts | Gather payment and compliance records; get advice before conceding |
| Landlord gave written assurances of renewal | Fact-specific; informal assurances are hard to enforce | Collect every message and letter; seek advice |
How do you check whether your option to renew was properly exercised?
An option to renew is a contractual right, and courts generally expect the tenant to comply with its terms precisely. Go through the clause line by line.
- The notice window. Many clauses require written notice “not earlier than X months and not later than Y months” before expiry. Notice outside that window, even by a day, may be invalid. Count from the exact expiry date stated in the lease.
- The form of notice. Check whether notice must be in writing, signed, sent to a named address or by a particular method. An email or WhatsApp to the managing agent may not satisfy a clause requiring a letter to the landlord’s registered address.
- Who gives notice. The tenant is your company, so the notice should be given in the company’s name and signed by an authorised director or officer. If the lease was signed by a related company, check which entity holds the option.
- Conditions precedent. Clauses often say the option is exercisable only if the tenant has paid rent and observed all covenants up to the date of exercise, or up to expiry. Late payments, unapproved alterations or unauthorised subletting of office space can give the landlord grounds to refuse. How strict the condition is depends on its exact wording.
- The renewal terms. If the clause says the rent will be “agreed” with no mechanism to fix it, the option may be difficult to enforce. A clause referring to market rent determined by a valuer is easier to enforce.
- Proof of delivery. Keep the signed notice, the courier or registered post receipt, and any acknowledgement. If the landlord later says it never received the notice, this evidence is decisive.
Where the option was validly exercised and the landlord still refuses, a lawyer may write to assert the tenant’s rights, and if needed the company can ask the court for a declaration, specific performance of the obligation to grant the renewed lease, or interim relief to prevent eviction while the dispute is decided. These are remedies for a lawyer from a law firm to assess on the facts.
What happens if the company stays on after the lease expires?
Staying on after the lease ends without the landlord’s agreement is called holding over, and it is expensive. Section 28(4) of the Civil Law Act 1909 provides that a tenant holding over after the determination of the tenancy is chargeable, at the landlord’s option, with double the amount of the rent until possession is given up, or with double the value of the premises for the period of detention, whether or not notice to that effect has been given.
In Campbell Hospitality Pte Ltd and others v Marchmont Pte Ltd and another appeal [2025] SGHC(A) 6, the Appellate Division of the High Court held that the landlord did not have to prove that the tenant knew it had no right to remain in possession. In that case, the tenant knew the landlord was ending the tenancy and seeking possession, and it was held liable for double rent or double value from the date the tenancy ended until it gave up possession.
Many leases also contain their own holding-over clause, which may set a higher rent or treat the tenant as a monthly tenant terminable by short notice. If the landlord accepts payments after expiry, disputes can arise about whether those payments were rent under a new arrangement or compensation for occupation. Do not rely on the landlord’s silence. If you need extra time to move, ask for a short written extension at an agreed rent.
If a tenant refuses to leave, the landlord would normally commence court proceedings for possession and claim double rent or damages. A tenant company that also falls into arrears may face a writ of distress for unpaid rent or, in serious cases, a winding-up application.
What can you still negotiate if renewal is refused?
Even without a right to stay, a tenant usually has leverage: the landlord may face vacancy, agent fees and fit-out costs for a new tenant. Practical asks include:
- a short extension of three to six months to allow an orderly move, documented in writing and stamped where required;
- agreement on the scope of reinstatement, or a cash settlement in place of reinstatement works;
- a firm date and method for refunding the security deposit;
- handing over fixtures the landlord or incoming tenant wants, in exchange for reduced reinstatement; and
- a mutual release of claims once the premises are handed back.
Disputes over reinstatement and the deposit are common at this stage. Our guide on getting your security deposit back after a commercial lease explains how deductions are assessed.
How should the company plan the move?
| Timing before expiry | Action |
|---|---|
| 12 months | Diarise the option window and expiry date; review the lease, guarantees and reinstatement clause |
| 9 to 6 months | Open renewal talks; exercise any option within its window; start searching for alternative premises |
| 6 to 3 months | If renewal is refused, sign new premises, obtain reinstatement quotes and request a joint inspection |
| 3 months to expiry | Notify customers, suppliers, banks and licensing agencies; arrange the move and reinstatement works |
| On and after handover | Return keys against written acknowledgement; photograph the premises; follow up on the deposit |
If the premises are also the company’s registered office, the change must be lodged with ACRA within 14 days. See moving your registered office in Singapore for the filing and records steps. Check too whether any business licence or permit is tied to the address.
Documents checklist
- Signed lease, letter of offer and any side letters or variations
- Any option notice you served, with proof of delivery
- Rent payment records and statements of account from the landlord
- Landlord approvals for renovations, signage and subletting
- Correspondence with the landlord and its managing agent about renewal
- Personal guarantees given by directors
- Handover condition report and photographs from the start of the lease
Example: an option served one week late
Example (hypothetical): Gamma Clinic Pte Ltd leases a ground-floor unit on a three-year lease with an option for a further three years, exercisable by written notice “not later than six months before expiry”. The director emails the managing agent seven days after the deadline. The landlord replies that it has found another tenant. Gamma’s records show no late payments, but the notice was out of time and sent by email when the lease required notice to the landlord’s address. A lawyer from an associated law firm advises that the option is probably lost unless the landlord’s later conduct amounts to a waiver, which the correspondence does not support. Gamma instead negotiates a four-month extension in writing, agrees a fixed sum in place of partial reinstatement, and moves to new premises, filing its change of registered office with ACRA in time. Gamma’s directors also put a diary system in place for every future option deadline.
Frequently asked questions
Does the landlord have to give a reason for not renewing?
Generally no, unless the lease says otherwise or a valid option has been exercised. Without an option, the landlord is free to let the premises to someone else or use them itself.
We have been tenants for ten years. Does that give us any right to stay?
Length of occupation does not by itself create a right to renew in Singapore. Each lease is assessed on its own terms. A long relationship is useful negotiating leverage, but not a legal entitlement.
Can we keep paying the old rent and stay until we find a new place?
Not safely. Holding over without agreement exposes the company to double rent or double value under section 28(4) of the Civil Law Act 1909, plus any loss the landlord suffers if a new tenant is delayed. Agree a written extension instead.
If the building is sold, does our option still bind the new owner?
It can depend on how the lease and option were documented and whether the tenant’s interest was protected on the land register. If a sale is rumoured, ask a lawyer to check the position before the option window opens.
Do we need to stamp a short extension letter?
A lease extension or renewal is generally a dutiable document. Check the stamp duty position with IRAS and pay any duty within the deadline.
Official sources: Campbell Hospitality v Marchmont [2025] SGHC(A) 6, Lease Agreements for Retail Premises Act 2023, ACRA filing obligations.
Need help with a lease renewal refusal or a landlord dispute?
If your company, or you as a director or shareholder, is dealing with a landlord who refuses to renew your business lease, contact the Raffles Corporate Services team at [email protected] or on WhatsApp at +65 8501 7133 or +65 9018 0072. We will help you understand the documents and deadlines, and handle the ACRA filings if your registered office moves. Where your matter needs a lawyer, we will refer you to a firm on our panel of Singapore law firms that regularly handles commercial leases and property disputes. Raffles Corporate Services is a corporate services provider, not a law firm, and this article is general information, not legal advice.
The Raffles Corporate Services Editorial Team, Raffles Corporate Services