Renting a home · Can wait
Before paying for a rental: verify the agent and home
General guidance for Singapore condo residents. Follow current official advice and confirm arrangements for your own building.
Start with the contact number
Search the advertised number or the number used by the person contacting you in CEA's Public Register. Compare the profile and agency details. CEA warns that a number without a matching agent profile is likely a scam even when the name and registration number belong to a real agent.
Verify independently
Call the number you obtained from the official register to confirm the listing and viewing. A screenshot, agent card or incoming caller ID is not sufficient: CEA describes spoofed calls and fake messages claiming that a new number needs fourteen days to appear. CEA says number changes are reflected immediately.
View before making a payment
CEA advises an in-person viewing with the registered agent and no payment to secure a viewing. If an assistant or another person attends, pause and independently verify the arrangement. Access to a real flat is not proof that the person is authorised to rent it.
Check the payment destination
CEA advises making rental payments directly to the property owner through verifiable methods. Independently check the owner and payee rather than treating documents sent in a chat as proof. A bank transfer provides a record; it does not certify the recipient. Keep rental payments distinct from any separately agreed agency fee.
If you suspect a scam
Pause payments and retain the listing, messages and documents. ScamShield's helpline is 1799. If money or bank details may have been compromised, contact your bank immediately using its official channel and make a police report. Report the listing to its platform. Quick action can limit further loss, but recovery is not guaranteed. This guide supports a checking process, not an assurance that a particular property is genuine.
Find your building's management office
Every building in the estate.sg directory lists its management office's number and address.