What are mesne profits?
Mesne profits are damages for the use and occupation of land by someone who has no right to be there, such as a former tenant who stays after the lease ends. They are typically measured by reference to the value of that use and occupation. Singapore landlords may claim mesne profits alongside, or as an alternative to, double rent or double value, together with an order for possession. Lawyers will advise which route a claim should take.
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?
- 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?