Is double rent automatic if I hand back my Singapore office late?
Not automatic, but readily available. Section 28(4) of the Civil Law Act 1909 gives the landlord the option of charging double rent or double value for the period a tenant holds over after the tenancy ends, whether or not notice was given. Many leases also contain their own holding-over clause, and JTC tells its tenants they are liable for double rent from expiry if reinstatement is not completed. Whether a particular landlord pursues it, and for what period, depends on the facts and the lease.
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
- 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?
- Can the landlord keep my security deposit if I hand back late?
- How do I estimate my own exposure?
- Is it better to negotiate an extension than to overstay?