3 types of landed houses in Singapore
Although we can see many different sizes, styles and colours of landed houses in Singapore, they can be broadly classified into 3 categories.
The first type is the detached house (also called bungalow). URA defines a detached house as a free standing dwelling unit within a plot of land.
The second type is the semi-detached house (also known as the Semi-D). A semi-detached house is a property that is attached to another landed property. Usually attached by the sides, it can also be attached back to back.
Finally, the third type is the terrace house. A terrace house is a house which forms part of a row of at least 3 houses sharing a common boundaries with common walls in between them.
Next, lets take a look at the minimum size of these various landed properties. For a detached house located within a Good Class Bungalow area, the land size is at least 1400 sqm (
15070 sqf). To put it in perspective, the smallest Good Class Bungalow is about the size of about fifteen 4-room flats combined, or 5 tennis courts combined.
For bungalows outside of the Good Class Bungalow area, the land size is minimally 400 sqm (
4306sqf), that is about four 4-room flats combined or 1.5 tennis courts combined.
For a semi-detached house or corner terrace, it is minimally 200 sqm (
2153 sqf) which is half of the minimum area of a bungalow.
For a terrace house, the minimum land size is 150 sqm (
1615 sqf) and it goes up from there.
Safeguarded landed housing estate
Next, lets introduce what is a safeguarded landed housing estate. There are well-established existing landed housing estates in Singapore which are gazetted to protect the style of these private housing estates. They include good class bungalow areas, bungalows areas, semi detached housing areas and also mixed landed housing areas.
Safeguarded landed housing estate Source: URA Space
The red highlighted areas under Special and Detailed Control Plans, landed housing areas denote the specific landed housing estate a property is in.
It also denotes the maximum number of floors the house can have, and also the type of landed house able to be build in those area. For Good Class Bungalow areas, only 2 storey bungalows or strata bungalow can be built. For bungalow areas, only bungalows or strata bungalows can be built.
For a semi-detached housing area, only semi detached and bungalow or the strata equivalent can be built. Lastly, for mixed landed housing areas, all landed and strata landed housing types can be built.
What this means is that you will not find a terrace house in a semi-detached housing area, nor would you find a semi-detached house in a bungalow area. This helps keep the density and also the type of landed houses consistent through the years. Even when developers start to tear down older houses and divide big landed houses into smaller landed houses, they have to abide by the restrictions of the landed housing area.
Good Class Bungalow areas are safeguarded since the 1980s and it is restricted to only 2-storey bungalows or cluster bungalows that occupy less than or equal to 35% of the land area. This means that there will be a considerable yard and parking space if you buy one. There are 39 Good Class Bungalow areas in Singapore and they are mostly centrally located. Most of them have very creative architectural designs.
Landed houses outside of the safeguarded landed housing area
There are also landed property outside of the safeguarded landed housing area. Developers are able to build mixed housing like flats, condominiums and any form of landed properties, subjected to local authoritys approval.
If you are staying in one such unit, it is possible that your neighbouring landed property be demolished, with a small low rise apartment replacing it. Or, it might be combined to become part of the land of a high rise condominium project.
As it is not safeguarded, there is more flexibility for developers to build housing types based on the market demand at the time of development. So will you be more keen to live in a landed house inside of a safeguarded landed housing area or outside? Are the landed houses less valuable because they are located outside of the designated safeguarded landed housing area?
Contact Us
If these are questions that you have running in your mind when you are deciding on a landed property, that is where Home Quarters expertise lies. Come sit down with us to go through your current needs and want for the property to purchase next!