Guide: Renting In A Shophouse

Shophouses are very unique and popular in Singapore. Typically, the ground floor is used as retail or F&B (Food and Beverages) outlets while the upper floors are used as offices or residences. Most shophouses have 3 floors and some even come with a high-ceilinged mezzanine attic, which could double as a conference room.

They are normally granted historical conservation status, which means the façade of the shophouse, cannot be demolished or altered without written approval from relevant authorities.

Shophouses are very popular with businesses like advertising, public relations, architects and media firms, primarily because of the unique (some say nostalgic) characters of the structure. Another bonus is that the rent is normally lower than that of corporate office buildings. In recent times, shophouses have also gained popularity with boutique hedge funds and finance companies setting up offices in Singapore. Some of them have even purchased shophouses for their own use while renting out excess space to other companies.

They are normally clustered in inner city locations like Raffles Place, City Hall, Tanjong Pagar, Amoy Street, Chinatown, Bugis and Lavender. Shophouses usually belong to numerous individual landlords, which make the search more difficult than compared to office corporate buildings.

If you would like to lease a shophouse office or purchase one for own use or investment, please call us for a customized search.