S'pore-Based Content Creator Says Her Ex-Landlord Turned 3-Room HDB Flat Into 7 Bedrooms

A regular three-room HDB flat has two bedrooms, so can you imagine one that's been reconfigured to fit seven bedrooms?

Yes, seven.

And no, we can’t imagine it either.

Yet, according to Singapore-based Malaysian content creator Zhishin, that is exactly what she encountered while she was renting a room in the Spottiswoode area.

While many viewers were busy trying to visualise how such a layout was even physically possible, the NUS student, who has been renting homes in Singapore for three years, broke it down.

“The living room was split into two rooms, and then the kitchen was turned into another room. And the storeroom became one more room,” she explained. 

“Even the storeroom was not spared!” Zhishin exclaimed.

According to her video, she still stayed in the unit while renovations were ongoing, even sharing that the kitchen was demolished and she had no way of cooking.

Beyond the inconvenience, Zhishin said she became increasingly concerned about safety issues.

“My biggest worry is overcrowding, fire hazard, and those safety issues. And even neighbours came down to see what was happening,” she shared, adding that she quickly decided to find another place to stay.

Zhishin moved out of the apartment a few weeks later. 

Under current HDB regulations, the maximum number of occupants allowed in a three-room flat, including owners and tenants, is six people.

While HDB temporarily relaxed occupancy caps for some larger flats until December 31, 2028, three-room flats were not included in the changes and remain subject to the six-person limit.

There are also strict rules governing which parts of a flat can be rented out.

According to HDB guidelines, only bedrooms originally constructed and approved by HDB can be rented to tenants.

Other areas of the home, including partitioned spaces, living room extensions, and improvised rooms cannot be used as legal bedrooms for rental purposes.

8days.sg has reached out to Zhishin for more information, but did not get a reply by press time.

Photos: zhishinn/TikTok