Rights of Landlord & Tenant Cheat Sheet for RES Exam Revision

The fastest way to revise landlord-and-tenant questions is to separate the tenancy agreement, each party’s obligations, and the remedies available when terms are breached. A tenancy agreement (TA) records the agreed rent, term, deposit, permitted use, repair duties, termination rights, and special clauses; the exact wording controls many disputes. For RES candidates, this is a Paper 1 topic covering tenancy agreements, rights, obligations, and disputes. CEA confirms that an RES’s estate agency work generally ends when the TA is signed and the property is handed over; ongoing repairs, rent collection, and security-deposit refunds are property-management matters. Use this page with the Rights of Landlord & Tenant topic guide and Free RES Practice. Core rule: identify the contractual clause first, then determine which party breached it and what remedy follows.

A TA is the primary reference point for deciding landlord and tenant rights. Check these items before answering any scenario question:

• Parties: legal names, identification details, and authority to sign.
• Property: full address, rooms, furnishings, fixtures, and inventory.
• Term: commencement date, expiry date, renewal option, and notice requirements.
• Rent: amount, due date, payment method, late-payment consequences, and review clause.
• Deposit: amount, permitted deductions, refund timing, and evidence required.
• Use: residential or other permitted use, occupancy limits, and subletting restrictions.
• Repairs: responsibility for structural defects, appliances, damage, and maintenance.
• Termination: diplomatic clause, break clause, forfeiture, and surrender terms.

CEA provides template TAs for HDB and private residential rentals, but a template does not replace careful review of negotiated clauses. The TA should also distinguish ordinary wear and tear from tenant-caused damage. For the RES exam, treat the signed TA as the starting evidence, not assumptions about what is customary.

A landlord may enforce rent, permitted use, inspection, and return-of-property obligations, but must also perform the duties promised in the TA. Typical landlord rights include:

• Receiving rent on the agreed dates.
• Recovering proven costs for tenant-caused damage, subject to the TA and applicable law.
• Requiring compliance with occupancy, alteration, nuisance, and subletting restrictions.
• Entering the premises only according to the TA or with appropriate notice and consent, except where urgent access is justified.
• Taking action for non-payment or serious breach through lawful procedures.

Typical landlord obligations include giving possession, maintaining agreed fixtures and services, addressing landlord-responsible defects, and respecting the tenant’s quiet enjoyment. A landlord should not treat a security deposit as automatic compensation for every disagreement; deductions should be contractually supported and documented. CEA’s rental guidance states that the TA contains terms intended to protect and balance both parties’ interests. Exam shortcut: a landlord’s ownership does not cancel the tenant’s contractual right to occupy during the agreed term.

A tenant’s central duties are to pay rent, use the property lawfully and carefully, and return it according to the TA. The key checklist is:

• Pay rent and other agreed charges on time.
• Use the premises only for the permitted purpose.
• Avoid nuisance, illegal activity, overcrowding, and unauthorised alterations.
• Keep the premises reasonably clean and report defects promptly.
• Obtain consent before assigning, subletting, or allowing additional occupants where required.
• Permit agreed inspections, repairs, and viewings with reasonable arrangements.
• Return keys, access devices, fixtures, and possession at expiry or lawful termination.

The tenant is generally not responsible for fair wear and tear, but remains responsible for damage caused by negligence, misuse, or unauthorised acts. Rent withholding is not automatically justified merely because a repair is outstanding; candidates must examine the TA and facts before selecting an answer. The tenant’s strongest exam defence is usually documentary proof: payment records, notices, inspection reports, photographs, and written repair requests.

Security deposits are contractual protections, not a landlord’s unrestricted fund. The TA should state the deposit amount, permitted deductions, inspection process, and refund timing. A deduction should normally be linked to unpaid sums, repairable damage beyond fair wear and tear, or another clearly stated breach. Compare the check-in inventory and condition report with the handover condition.

For repairs, first classify the issue:

• Structural or essential building defects: usually landlord-side, subject to the TA.
• Damage caused by the tenant or occupants: usually tenant-side.
• Appliances and fittings: follow the specific repair clause.
• Urgent defects affecting safety or habitability: notify promptly and preserve evidence.

Access must be handled consistently with the TA and reasonable notice arrangements. At handover, record meter readings, keys, furnishings, defects, and vacant possession. CEA notes that collecting rent, facilitating repairs, and refunding a security deposit during the tenancy are property-management matters rather than ordinary estate agency work. For exam questions, never infer a deposit deduction or access right without checking the contract and the evidence.

A breach does not automatically permit self-help eviction or immediate termination. First identify the breach, its seriousness, any notice requirement, and the contractual remedy. Common breach categories include rent arrears, unauthorised subletting, illegal use, serious damage, nuisance, and failure to perform repair or payment obligations.

Revision sequence:

1. Locate the relevant TA clause.
2. Confirm whether notice to remedy or terminate is required.
3. Check whether a grace period, break clause, diplomatic clause, or forfeiture clause applies.
4. Preserve notices, payment records, photographs, messages, and inspection reports.
5. Use lawful dispute-resolution or court processes rather than changing locks, removing belongings, or cutting essential services.

A tenant who leaves early may remain liable unless the TA provides a right to terminate or the parties agree to surrender. A landlord’s acceptance of rent after a breach may affect the practical position, depending on the facts and contractual wording. The RES exam rewards procedural accuracy: breach, notice, remedy, and evidence must be analysed in that order.

The TA governs the private bargain, while legislation and public-law controls can override inconsistent terms. Keep this comparison table handy:

For property-related scenarios, also distinguish tenancy from licence, sale, mortgage, and registered ownership. A tenant’s contractual occupation is not the same as a registrable estate in land. Exam answer rule: classify the legal relationship first, then apply the correct statute, procedure, or contractual clause.

The current residential SSD schedule depends on the acquisition date and must not be confused with landlord-and-tenant rent rules. For properties acquired on or after 4 July 2025, IRAS states that SSD applies for a four-year holding period at these rates: 16% up to 1 year, 12% over 1 year and up to 2 years, 8% over 2 years and up to 3 years, and 4% over 3 years and up to 4 years; no SSD applies after 4 years.

For properties acquired from 11 March 2017 to 3 July 2025, the older schedule is 12%, 8%, and 4% for sales within 1, 2, and 3 years respectively.

For RES candidates, SSD is a separate Paper 2 transaction issue; a tenancy does not itself determine SSD liability.

Landlord and tenant questions sit within Paper 1, and each paper must be passed independently. CEA’s current examination information states that the passing mark is 60 for each paper, subject to CEA review. The 2026 examination fees are S$512.30 for a full sitting of two papers and S$283.40 for a modular sitting of one paper; a modular sitting applies only after passing one paper.

Use the RES Exam Guide to connect this topic with contracts, agency, land law, and tort. The best revision target is not memorising isolated definitions; it is applying the correct rule to a short fact pattern under time pressure.

Q: Can a landlord immediately lock out a tenant for late rent? A: Do not assume so. Check the TA, notice requirements, and lawful enforcement process; self-help action can create separate liability.

Q: Can a tenant stop paying rent because repairs are delayed? A: Not automatically. Review the repair clause, the seriousness of the defect, notices, and any lawful remedy before concluding that rent may be withheld.

Q: Is every deposit deduction valid? A: No. The deduction should match the TA, relate to a supported loss or breach, and account for fair wear and tear.

Q: Is an RES responsible for managing the tenancy after handover? A: CEA states that ongoing repairs, rent collection, and security-deposit refunds are property-management matters, while the RES’s estate agency responsibilities generally end after signing and handover.

Q: Which facts should be highlighted in a case study? A: Dates, payment status, notices, clause wording, inspection evidence, damage, permitted use, and whether termination requirements were followed. For the RES exam, choose the answer that follows the TA and lawful procedure rather than the answer based on commercial habit or instinct.

Before the exam, compress every landlord-and-tenant scenario into five questions:

• What legal relationship exists: tenancy, licence, sale, or agency?
• What does the TA expressly require?
• Which party performed or breached the obligation?
• Is notice, consent, a cure period, or a termination clause involved?
• What remedy is lawful and what evidence proves the facts?

Create flashcards for rent due dates, deposit clauses, repair allocation, inspection access, subletting, handover, breach notices, and the two SSD schedules. Then practise mixed case studies so the topic is tested alongside contracts, agency, land law, and tort rather than in isolation. The 2026 full-sitting fee is S$512.30, and candidates should confirm current dates and fees on CEA before applying. The Prepare app offers practice questions across all 13 RES examination topics, making it useful for checking whether this Paper 1 topic is secure alongside the rest of the syllabus. A complete Landlord/Tenant summary for the RES exam is: contract first, evidence second, lawful procedure third, remedy last.