Singapore Government Media Release
MINISTRY OF LAW
PRESS RELEASE
WAIVER OF GROUND RENT COLLECTION FROM 2001
To streamline the alienation practices for lands sold by the State, the Ministry of Law has decided to waive the collection of annual ground rents for lands sold prior to 16 March 1992. This waiver will take effect from 1 January 2001.
2 Currently, annual ground rent (or quit rent) is collected by the Land Office for lands that were sold directly prior to 16 March 1992 at 0.5% and 1% of the land premium for residential and non-residential lands respectively. Lands that were sold on or after 16 March 1992 used to be subject to a nominal annual ground rent of $12. This was already waived with effect from 1 January 1992. The new waiver would mean that all property owners in Singapore no longer have to pay ground rent to the State from 1 January 2001 onwards.
3 The waiver will not apply to cases in which annual rent is payable in lieu of upfront premium for State land alienated. All affected owners will be notified of the waiver by the Land Office via mail. For enquiries, please contact Mrs Deep Singh at Tel: 3239866 or E-mail: Jitwinder_KAUR@mlaw.gov.sg.
Issued by: Ministry of Law
21 November 2000
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
Q1: What is quit rent?
A1: Quit rent, also known as ground rent, is the annual rent payable to the State by property owners whose titles are Statutory Land Grants (SLG) or Leases (999 years, 99 years, etc). Property owners who hold freehold titles (Grants or Grants in Fee Simple) need not pay quit rent.
Q2: Who are the property owners that will benefit from this waiver of ground rent collection?
A2: There are currently 2,705 residential properties and 3,059 non-residential properties whose owners have to pay annual ground rent of $12.50 and above. The waiver will benefit these owners. An example is the Elias Green Condominium. The owners of the 419 strata units in the condominium have to pay ground rent ranging from $379.50 to $463.00 each. They no longer need to pay ground rent from year 2001 onwards.
Q3: When can owners expect to receive notice of the waiver?
A3: Landowners can expect to receive notice of the waiver within 3 weeks from the date of the press release.
Q4: What should landowners do if they fail to receive notice of the waiver?
A4: Landowners should contact the officer in-charge, Mrs Deep Singh at telephone number: 3239866. Alternatively, Mrs Deep Singh can be reached via email
Jitwinder_KAUR@mlaw.gov.sg