Can the landlord keep my security deposit if I hand back late?
The lease decides. Commercial leases commonly allow the landlord to deduct sums owed, including rent or double rent, the cost of incomplete reinstatement and other charges, before refunding the balance without interest. A late handback therefore often delays and reduces the refund even when the landlord does not sue.
From the RRD Field Guide, checked against the sources cited in The True Cost of a Late Handback: Holding Over, Double Rent and Mesne Profits in Singapore. General information, not advice for your project.
The fuller picture
If a tenant stays in possession after its Singapore lease ends, section 28(4) of the Civil Law Act 1909 lets the landlord charge double rent or double value for the holding-over period, and many leases add their own terms. With CBD Grade A rents around S$12 to S$13 psf a month in Q3 2026, a 5,000 sq ft office can cost over S$4,000 a day in double rent alone.
More questions on this topic
- Is double rent automatic if I hand back my Singapore office late?
- Does the tenant have to be deliberately overstaying for double rent to apply?
- Is double rent calculated on the old rent or the current market rent?
- What are mesne profits?
- If I have moved out but reinstatement is unfinished, am I holding over?
- How do I estimate my own exposure?
- Is it better to negotiate an extension than to overstay?