Tracker › Rules
Rules tracker
Rules that shape managed and flexible rentals in and around Southeast Asia. Each item links to its source and is dated. Rules for each local rental type are also on its own page.
Key dates
| Date | Market | What happens | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Dec 2026 | Philippines | Rent-increase cap (1% for 2026, units at ₱10,000/month or less) runs to this date | source |
| 28 Feb 2027 | Hong Kong | Registration of existing subdivided units as Basic Housing Units closes | source |
| 1 Mar 2027 | Hong Kong | Letting an unregistered subdivided unit becomes an offence; 3-year grace period for meeting standards begins | source |
| 31 Dec 2028 | Singapore | Temporary HDB and private-home occupancy cap (6 for 3-room, 8 for 4-room+) ends | source |
| 2030 | Singapore | Older dormitories must meet the Dormitory Transition Scheme interim standards | source |
| 2040 | Singapore | Dormitories must meet the New Dormitory Standards | source |
Hong Kong: subdivided units (Basic Housing Units Ordinance, Cap. 658)
- The Basic Housing Units Ordinance (Cap. 658) regulates subdivided units (劏房) as "Basic Housing Units". Registration of existing units is free (Form REG-01) and runs from 1 Mar 2026 to 28 Feb 2027. [source, 21 Oct 2026]
- From 1 Mar 2027 letting an unregistered unit is an offence (s.8). A grace period from 1 Mar 2027 to 28 Feb 2030 lets landlords bring units up to standard; the countdown phase starts 1 Sep 2029. [source, 21 Oct 2026]
Singapore: worker dormitories and HDB rooms
- FEDA licence: needed for premises housing 7 or more migrant workers. Licence classes by beds: 7–99 Class 1, 100–299 Class 2, 300–999 Class 3, 1,000+ Class 4. A new fee formula applies from 1 Apr 2026. Hotels, hostels, serviced apartments, HDB flats and private homes are exempt. [source, 21 Oct 2026]
- Dormitory Transition Scheme: dorms not yet on the New Dormitory Standards must meet interim standards by 2030 (no more than 12 residents per room, at least 3.6 m² per resident, at least 1 set of toilet, shower and basin per 6 residents; common en-suite toilets allowed) and the New Dormitory Standards by 2040 (at least 4.2 m² per resident). Dorms on government leases expiring in 2033 or earlier are exempt. Dorms licensed as of 28 Feb 2026 with leases running past 2033 are eligible for the DTS grant. [source, 21 Oct 2026]
- Owners of 3-room or larger flats may rent out bedrooms with HDB approval before the tenancy starts: 1 bedroom in a 3-room flat, or 2 in a 4-room or larger flat (if not renting out the whole flat). The minimum stay is 6 months. The HDB site timed out from our checker on 21 Oct 2026, so these points rest on search results of the HDB pages. [source, 21 Oct 2026] (search-based: the official page timed out from our checker)
- The temporary occupancy cap of 6 people for 3-room flats and 8 for 4-room and larger flats (and private homes) is extended to 31 Dec 2028 (HDB, 2026). [source, 2026] (search-based: the official page timed out from our checker)
Singapore HDB room rental explainer →
Malaysia: Act 446 worker accommodation and tenancy law
- Act 446 (Employees' Minimum Standards of Housing, Accommodations and Amenities Act 1990) applies in Peninsular Malaysia and Labuan, not Sabah or Sarawak. Employers and centralised accommodation providers need a certificate of accommodation, applied for at akta446.mohr.gov.my. Fines go up to RM50,000; providers can also face up to 1 year in prison. [source, 21 Oct 2026]
- From 1 Mar 2026 the maximum accommodation charge that can be deducted from a worker is RM150 a month (P.U.(A) 49/2026; previously RM100), per JTKSM. [source, 1 Mar 2026]
- Malaysia's Residential Tenancy Bill, covering ordinary room and house rentals, had not been tabled as of 12 Aug 2026 (Free Malaysia Today). [source, 12 Aug 2026]
Malaysian room rental and hostels explainer →
Thailand: dormitory licensing
- Dormitory Act B.E. 2558 (2015): dorms for students up to bachelor's level aged 25 or under need a licence from the local registrar (the Bangkok governor in Bangkok, otherwise the local mayor or chief executive). [source, 21 Oct 2026]
- A private dormitory licence is valid for 5 years (2017 ministerial regulation, as summarised by a local authority). Note: that page timed out from our checker on 21 Oct 2026, so this point rests on search results. [source, 21 Oct 2026] (search-based: the official page timed out from our checker)
- The Department of Children and Youth publishes the licensed-dormitory register as open data (dataset dcy605, last updated 8 Jul 2026 when we checked on 21 Oct 2026; it timed out on our re-check). [source, 21 Oct 2026]
Thai apartment and หอพัก explainer →
Vietnam: mini-apartment fire rules
- Housing Law 2023, Art. 57: if an individual's building has 2+ floors with apartments for sale or lease-purchase, or 20+ apartments for rent, the owner must meet the rules for a housing project developer. Buildings with under 20 rental apartments must meet the Ministry of Construction's building rules, fire-safety rules and provincial rules on fire-truck access. [source, 26 Apr 2024]
- Directive 19/CT-TTg (24 Jun 2024): mini apartments and rental housing that did not meet fire-safety requirements by 30 Mar 2025 had to stop operating. [source, 24 Jun 2024]
- The Khương Hạ mini-apartment fire in Hanoi (12 Sep 2023) killed 56 people and injured 37 (government announcement of the cause). [source, 20 Sep 2023]
Vietnamese chung cư mini explainer →
Indonesia: kos tax
- Kos is a taxable "hotel services" object under the regional goods-and-services tax (PBJT), Article 53(1)(j) of Law 1/2022 (UU HKPD). The old Law 28/2009 floor of more than 10 rooms no longer applies, so even one unit can be taxed. Each region sets the rate in a local regulation, up to 10% (Ministry of Finance, reported by DDTC News, 14 Sep 2024). [source, 14 Sep 2024]
Philippines: rent control for boarding houses and bedspaces
- NHSB Resolution 2024-001 under the Rent Control Act (RA 9653): for units renting at ₱10,000 a month or less with the same tenant, rent increases are capped at 2.3% for 2025 and 1% for 2026. It covers boarding houses, dormitories, rooms and bedspaces, whose rent may be raised only once a year, and runs to 31 Dec 2026 (Philippine Information Agency, 6 Jan 2025). [source, 6 Jan 2025]
Philippine bedspace explainer →
South Korea: gosiwon fire rules (comparison)
- After the Nov 2018 Gukil Gosiwon fire (7 dead), an amended law required simple sprinklers in all gosiwon, including those opened before 2009, by 30 Jun 2022. It took effect on 10 Dec 2020 (Yonhap, 8 Jun 2020). [source, 8 Jun 2020]
- Seoul ordinance from 1 Jul 2022 for new, extended or converted gosiwon: rooms of at least 7 m² (9 m² with a toilet) and a window to the outside of at least 0.5 m × 1 m (Yonhap, 4 Jan 2022). [source, 4 Jan 2022]
Japan: share-house building and lodging rules (comparison)
- MLIT (6 Sep 2013): operator-managed shared rental rooms (貸しルーム) are treated as dormitories (寄宿舎) under the Building Standards Act, with the matching fire and building rules. [source, 6 Sep 2013]
- MHLW guidance: stays of under about one month are generally treated as lodging under the Inns and Hotels Act, which needs a separate licence. [source, 21 Oct 2026]
Japanese share houses and monthly mansions explainer →
Sources checked 21 Oct 2026. Items marked search-based rest on search results because the official page timed out from our checker. This page is a summary, not legal advice.