Guide · Housing · 3 min read
Unpaid rent: what a landlord can and cannot do
How a landlord recovers unpaid rent through the court, what cannot be seized, and where money disputes are heard.
In plain English · by laws.sg · not legal advice· Law as at 29 Sep 2026
On this page · 5 parts
The short answer
A landlord may seize a tenant's goods for unpaid rent only in the way the Distress Act provides.
Under that Act, the landlord applies to a judge or registrar for a writ of distress.
The writ is addressed to the sheriff and directs the sheriff to seize the property.
Only through the court
A landlord, or an agent they authorise in writing, applies to a judge or registrar for a writ of distress. The writ can cover rent for no more than the 12 completed months of the tenancy immediately before the application.
Rent owed can still be recovered this way after the tenancy ends, if the tenant is still in occupation of the premises or the tenant's goods are still on them.
The writ is addressed to the sheriff, who seizes enough movable property on the premises to cover the rent and the costs.
What cannot be seized
Some things cannot be taken under a writ of distress, including:
- Things in actual use in the hands of a person at the time of the seizure
- Tools and implements not in use, if there is other movable property on the premises that covers the amount and costs
- The tenant's necessary clothing, and necessary bedding for the tenant and their family
After a seizure
The sheriff lists and values what was seized, and gives the tenant a notice of the seizure. The goods can be sold at the time and place in the notice, not less than 6 days after it, unless the tenant pays the amount due within 5 days or gets an order stopping the sale.
If the tenant is not on the premises, the notice can be given to anyone who appears to be in occupation, or, if there is no such person, posted in a conspicuous place on the premises.
Disputes over money
Subject to the Act, a small claims tribunal can hear a claim that is a "specified claim" and is served on the respondent in Singapore.
Small Claims Tribunals Act s 5(1)
A specified claim is a claim listed in the Schedule to the Act. The Act sets the prescribed limit at $20,000 and the prescribed extended limit at $30,000, unless the Minister, after consulting the Chief Justice, prescribes other sums by order in the Gazette.
Small Claims Tribunals Act s 2
Except where the Act expressly provides otherwise, a tribunal cannot hear a claim worth more than the prescribed limit, or a claim brought more than 2 years after the cause of action arose.
Small Claims Tribunals Act s 5(3)
Subject to the Act's other conditions on the claim and on its service, a tribunal can also hear a claim above the prescribed limit, up to the extended limit, if the parties to the claim agree to it in a memorandum they sign.
Small Claims Tribunals Act s 5(4)
Read your tenancy agreement for what it says about the deposit, repairs and ending the lease early.
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