Rent assistance is intended for those who are most affected by the tightening of security management measures (“SMM”) in phase 2A (enhanced alert) / stabilization. Tenants who wish to receive the notice and take advantage of the rent exemption must assess for themselves whether they meet the eligibility criteria. If they meet the eligibility criteria, they must send intermediate landlords (i.e. landlords who sublet the property and are not the owners of the property) who wish to take advantage of the rent waiver must send copies of all documents they receive from their eligible tenant by email or registered mail to their immediate landlord within seven calendar days of receiving the documents from their tenant. Among other amendments, the Bill amends the Act to provide a Rent Exemption Framework (“RWF”) to support small and medium-sized enterprises (“SMEs”) and certain not-for-profit organizations (“NPOs”) affected by Phase 2 (Enhanced Alert) security management measures (“P2(HA)”). Eligible tenants[1] of commercial real estate may, in certain situations, apply for a rent and royalty waiver under their leases and licences for the period from August 5, 2021 to August 18, 2021 (“Relevant Period”). [2] The rent waiver applies as soon as an eligible tenant submits all of the above documents to their landlord. It will initially apply to all rents payable, including interest or related charges, for the period from 5 to 18 August 2021 (both days inclusive). If the rent from 5 to 18 August 2021, the tenant`s next rent payment will be reduced by the corresponding amount.
An SME or NPO tenant (including sub-tenants and licensees) of an eligible commercial property must meet all of the following criteria to be eligible for the rent exemption: Tenants may not automatically receive the second RSS payment and/or notice if they rent only part of a property, lease a mixed-use property (e.g. a commercial and residential shophouse) and/or hold a permit. MinLaw indicates that tenants who feel they are entitled to the rent waiver under the framework, but who have not received the second RSS payment and notification by October 15, 2021, must apply for the second RSS payment by November 12, 2021 at go.gov.sg/irss-rss2-tenant. 5. In October 2021, the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) Act 2021 (Amendment No. 4) came into force, providing a rent exemption framework (“framework”) for small and medium-sized enterprises (“SMEs”) and certain not-for-profit organizations (“NPOs”) affected by the enhanced security measures of Phase 2 (Enhanced Alert) (“P2(HA)”). The framework aims to ensure equitable joint sharing of tenancy obligations between P2(HA) periods between the government, eligible landlords and tenants by requiring landlords to grant eligible SMEs and NPOs renting eligible commercial properties a two-week gross rent waiver. To operationalize the framework, the Covid-19 (Temporary Measures) (Rental Waiver Due to a Covid-19 Event in 2021) Regulations 2021 also came into force on 5 October 2021.
For the third payment, tenants and homeowners who received the second cash payment will receive a payment equal to twice the second cash payment, while those who did not qualify for the second payment but were successful with their third payment claim will receive a payment equal to the contractually agreed gross rent of 1 month. as indicated in the lease stamped for the period from September 27, 2021 to November 21, 2021. There will be no change in the amount of the cash payment, even if the actual rent differs from the stamped rent. Under the RWF, landlords must grant eligible SMEs and certain NPO tenants of eligible commercial buildings a rent waiver of two weeks` gross rent[3]. The RWF complements previous supports, one of which was the Rent Assistance Program (“RSS”), which provides a total of one month of cash rent assistance to qualified tenants in commercial residential buildings. With RSS cash payments, these tenants receive a total of approximately 1.5 months of rent assistance. In a press release dated October 6, 2021, the Ministry of Justice (“MinLaw”) stated that tenants who have received the second payment under the Rent Support Program (“RSS”) administered by Singapore`s Inland Revenue Authority will receive a notice of rent waiver (“Notice”) by mail from MinLaw as of October 6, 2021. Tenants who receive the notification are not automatically entitled to the rent waiver.
Instead, they must judge for themselves whether they meet all the eligibility criteria. If eligible, they must: We outline some of the issues that tenants, intermediate landlords and landlords can request for assessment by a rent waiver assessor For private commercial properties, some landlords have granted rent waivers or discounts to support their tenants during P2(HA) periods.
