Landlord vs Tenant: Who Pays for What in Reinstatement?
Short answer: The tenant almost always pays for reinstatement in a Singapore commercial lease, including cases where the landlord chooses the contractor, since the obligation is written into the lease as a tenant cost regardless of who does the physical work.
The default: tenant pays
Reinstatement is structured as a tenant cost in the great majority of Singapore commercial leases. SingaporeLegalAdvice.com is explicit on this point for the nominated-contractor scenario: "the reinstatement clause may also state that the reinstatement contractor will be appointed by the landlord at the tenant's cost." In other words, even where the landlord picks who does the work, the tenant is the one paying the bill.
This surprises some first-time commercial tenants, who assume that because the landlord owns the building, ordinary wear and preparation for the next tenant is a landlord expense. It isn't, for anything covered by the reinstatement clause. Only genuine base-building maintenance, unrelated to your fit-out or tenancy, typically falls to the landlord.
Where the split actually shows up
The practical split isn't about who pays, it's about scope: what exactly the tenant is required to remove or repair, versus what the landlord accepts as normal wear and leaves alone. That's precisely what the reinstatement clause is meant to define, and it's why an undefined or vague clause is the root of most disputes. See our guide on common reinstatement disputes for how this plays out in practice, and get any negotiated changes to scope written into the lease before you sign.
Related guides
- The Reinstatement Clause: What Tenants Are Liable For
- Common Disputes Between Tenants and Landlords Over Reinstatement
Sources
Checked July 2026.