Dual key units have taken the Singapore residential property and investment market by storm in the recent years. Dual key units actually aren’t present just in Singapore but also in Australia, though it is a relatively new property type.
For the uninitiated, dual key units in layman terms can be described as 2 units in one. The more technical explanation is where there are 2 homes sharing a common foyer in a single title.
Dual key units were first introduced in the Caspain project by Frasers Centrepoint in 2009. Soon after, this housing format took off when owners and investors realized the potential for making good returns with this housing type.
Since there are 2 ‘units’ in a dual key unit, there are endless permutations for home owners and investors with regards to their living arrangements. Following are some examples.
| Studio unit | Other unit (usually 1/2/3/4 br) |
| Couple | Aged parents |
| Couple | Parents and children |
| Tenant | Landlord (couple, family etc) |
| Tenant | Tenant with more people |
| Aged parents | Adult children with their own kids |
| Maid 🙂 | Family |
| Office use* | Family/couple |
| AirBnB tenant* | Family |
*If allowed by the government
Dual key units provide the following advantages
- Privacy. The studio unit has its own toilet, bath and kitchen for the person staying there to live in a self contained manner, separate from the other unit.
- Rental potential. If there were no dual key facility, the total rental for the unit will be less than if the studio and other larger unit were rented out separately
3 bedroom example of dual key units
In the 3 bedroom dual key unit, the main entrance to the dual key unit is at the bottom right.
Going straight leads one to the studio unit composed of a dry kitchen, master bath, dining area and balcony.
The other side leads to the 3 bedroom unit.
The balcony of the studio has its own privacy because the person standing there won’t be able to look into the 3 bedroom unit. The privacy is afforded by the aircon ledge.
This dual key unit example is from Rivertrees Residences condo development.
4 bedroom example of dual key units
For a 4 bedroom dual key unit taken from Jewel at Buangkok condominium, the entrance is at the bottom right.
People coming in will enter the foyer, after which there will be 2 doors leading to the studio and 4 bedroom unit respectively.
The studio has a kitchenette, bath area and study space. However, the studio unit in this example unit does not have a balcony unlike the Rivertrees Residences example.
Seeing the 2 examples above show that there is a lot of flexibility in planning living arrangements with a dual key unit. For most buyers and property investors, the privacy provides a very strong attraction point.
Projects with dual key units
The following is a list of property developments with dual key units. Projects with blue font are developments where we have units being marketed. If you’re interested in any dual key unit, even in projects we do not cover, contact us and we will find out for you.
| Project name | Development type | Bedroom sizes with dual key |
| Jewel at Buangkok | Private condo | 4 BR |
| Rivertrees Residences | Private condo | 3 BR |
| Trilive | Private condo | 2, 3 and 4 BR |
| Kingsford Waterbay | Private condo | 3 BR |
| Sims Urban Oasis | Private condo | 2, 3 and 4 BR |
| North Park Residences | Private condo | 2 and 3 BR |
| High Park Residences | Private condo | 4 BR |
| Sophia Hills | Private condo | 2 BR |
| City Gate | Private condo | 2 and 3 BR |
| GEM Residences | Private condo | 2 BR |
| The Crest | Private condo | 2, 3 and 4 BR |
| Bijou | Private condo | 2 and 4 BR |
| Bellewaters | EC | 3 BR |
| Ecopolitan | EC | 3 and 4 BR |
| One Canberra | EC | 3, 4 and 5 BR |
| Twin Fountains | EC | 4 BR |
| Twin Waterfalls | EC | 4 BR |
List of developments with dual key units and sale status as of 13 Sept 2017
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Gem residences photos and dual key floor plans
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Sims Urban Oasis photos and dual key floor plans
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Sophia Hills photos and dual key floor plans
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Office use of studio space not allowed by URA
In some cases, there have been professionals and freelance workers using the studio as their working/office space.
For productivity’s sake, some people recommend a separation between a person’s work and leisure space. This means that the office, with its desk, printer, work computer, stacks of paper should not cross an imaginary boundary into the person’s leisure or personal space i.e. bedroom, living and dining room etc.
Use of residential space for office and income generating purposes is not allowed by the Singapore government. URA has a full text on the usage of the term “Small office home office”.
However, under the Home-Office Scheme, owners of residential units can use their homes to conduct small-scale businesses, provided they do not cause disamenity to other residents. To do so, the owner must register for the home-office use under the Home Office Scheme (see http://www.ura.gov.sg/uol/home-office/Register/Guidelines/about.aspx for details). Only small-scale businesses that comply with the planning guidelines applicable to home-offices (e.g. not hiring more than two non-resident employees) are permitted within residential units. Other commercial businesses or uses that do not meet the guidelines are not allowed
Long in short, those who have a dual key unit and choose to use the studio for commercial purposes must first get the government’s approval. In reality, I’m not sure how many homeowners do so…
MND’s legislation regarding dual key units
To ensure a stable and sustainable property market, MND on 11 Jan 2013 came out with a policy to limit sales of new dual-key EC units to multi-generational families only.
Seems like the government got wind of what private investors were doing and profiting from a quasi-public type of housing.
Full text of MND’s statement on cooling measures
With this measure, investors have little way to profit from the flexibility afforded by a dual key unit.
In practice, the multi-generation family (children, parents and grandparents) could stay in the larger unit and rent the studio out. This would however mean quite a squeeze for the multi-generational unit. I’m not sure how many families would be fine with the arrangement.
Cons of dual key units
No post is complete without pointing out the cons of a certain property purchase and investment decision. I personally think that the pros of dual key units outweigh the cons, but the following are some cons to consider.
- Security may be compromised if tenants in the studio are undesirable. To that, I would say this risk is not reduced even in a non dual key unit. Mitigation of tenant security is by screening them first.
- The studio in dual key units are small. This is true to a large extent. Property buyers can reduce this risk by making sure of how large the studio is before buying. It is also important to know what developers build into the studio. Most provide a bedroom, bathroom and kitchenette. If you’re fortunate, you would get a pantry and proper fridge area. Otherwise, tough luck.
- Soundproofing. People living in the two dual key units might be able to hear each other pas the walls. I don’t think this is a major issue because the wall separating the units is usually the same as any other in the unit. In other words, the walls are usually quite thick as built by developers to the government’s specifications.
- Since dual key units are a fairly new phenomenon, some developers may price it as if 2 units were being sold. I would say this is unfair as there is only one title to the unit. Nevertheless, the pricing of dual key units in Singapore are commensurate with the total floor area of the units. In other words, there could be 3 separate units in that single unit, but the total price would be based on the total floor area, not as if there were 3 units being sold.
- Banks and lenders may refuse lending to purchasers of dual key units. There has been no known case where this has happened.
At the end of the day though, dual key units will still remain a popular choice among home buyers for the privacy and flexibility it offers. Essentially, home owners can view themselves as getting 2 units for the price of 1.
Dual key units present a type of housing that is likely to hold its value over the long term. I.e. ‘Normal’ units may lose more value than dual key units in a downturn.
Share with us in the comments below – are dual key units something you would buy? Why?
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