Affinity at Serangoon Condo Review: Rent from $2,250 per month by Habyt Coliving (formerly Hmlet)

Hmlet is definitely not a new and unfamiliar co-living operator, but it has recently been rebranded as Habyt, following its merger with the Berlin-based startup this year in 2023. 

One of the brand new co-living space offered by Habyt is the Affinity at Serangoon condo development. As it is located towards the Serangoon North area, which is not as busy as the main Serangoon NEX area, where one could find a quiet respite amidst the hustle and bustle of life.

Affinity at Serangoon (Condo Summary)

*Information accurate as of date of publish from Propertyguru

Habyt Singapore (previously Hmlet)

With a mission to make flexible housing accessible for everyone, Habyt offers a range of flexible stay options for everyone, including private room, shared room, as well as private apartments.

The lease durations are mostly within a 3 months intervals such as 3-months, 6-months, 9-months, 12-months, and so on. The monthly rates are usually better with a longer lease term.

• Habyt Coliving Prices: From $1,655 per month for single bedroom (3 sqm) & shared bathroom
• Habyt Private Apartment Prices: From $4,845 per month (2 bed 2 bath apartment)

On Habyt’s website, the monthly rate starts from $1,655 per month for a single bedder room at the size of 3 sq m with a shared bathroom, which will be suitable for a start if you want to try moving out of your parents’ home, or if you are visiting Singapore on a short-term duration.

If your home is undergoing renovation works or home improvement programme, you can opt to rent the whole private apartment to house your family members (and pets if you have any) from $4,845 a month at Habyt Hamilton that comes with a living room, fully equipped kitchen, along with 2 beds and 2 baths.

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Owen House by Hmlet

Earlier in February 2023, Hmlet opened its first hotel in Singapore, the Owen House, which is located within walking distance from Farrer Park MRT and near Little India.

Owen House by Hmlet and Hmlet Cantonment are part of Hmlet’s Boutique Collection offering co-living residence, where the Owen House by Hmlet is operating as a hotel with a co-living experience, allowing you to book a stay for a night or two easily.

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Affinity at Serangoon: Habyt Coliving Review

As a condo development that just got its TOP (temporary occupancy permit) in 2023, Affinity at Serangoon is one of the newest co-living apartments offered by Habyt, where ongoing works and home renovations were happening at the time of my daycation in September 2023.

The entire Affinity at Serangoon condo development is massive with 88 communal facilities to serve over a thousand household units, not including the 40 exclusive strata-landed houses, as well as 5 retail shops to provide added convenience for the residents, (though they were still in the middle of setting it up).

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Affinity at Serangoon Food

Since the Serangoon area is considered a matured estate, there are a myriad of food options with a fancy cafe spot called First Storey Cafe just across the road. You can also consider walking to the nearby neighbourhood coffeeshops, or even going over to myVillage, Serangoon Gardens Market, Chomp Chomp for the popular food choices not to be missed.

Affinity at Serangoon MRT

As the Serangoon North MRT Station on the Cross-Island Line will only be ready in 2030, it takes around a 15-minute bus ride away from Serangoon MRT Station to get to Affinity at Serangoon. However, there is a good connectivity to multiple expressways to get you straight to the CBD area for work if you drive, since the CTE expressway is near.

Part of the perks of staying at Affinity at Serangoon includes having access to 1-year free shuttle bus service to Serangoon MRT Station, which I did not get to enjoy since it wasn’t ready then.

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Affinity at Serangoon Rent: By Habyt coliving

Rent from $2,250 per month for master bedroom

According to the Habyt’s representative, there are a couple of units that are available within the Affinity at Serangoon development that you can book with Habyt. The one that was available for my daycation happened to be one that was located on the ground floor.

There are a total of 3 bedrooms available in the 850 sq ft unit that was allocated during my daycation. I was given the master bedroom unit which is going from $2,250 per month that comes with an attached bathroom, while the 2 other bedrooms have access to the shared bathroom. The all-inclusive rent covers the WiFi, utilities, regular maintenance, communal cleaning, along with the essential furnishing and fixtures in a home. 

No agent fees

At Habyt, the standard 1-month deposit applies regardless of the lease duration, compared to the traditional rental model in Singapore with a minimum of 1-year lease contract as well as the additional agent fees, increasing the upfront cost to rent.

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Affinity at Serangoon: Habyt Coliving Review

Stepping into the 3 bedroom compact unit, you walk right into the galley kitchen, before entering the dining area and living room with 2 aircon units, sufficient to cool the spacious open area. There is also an outdoor patio area, great for hanging out with housemates, or even hanging your clothes to air dry with the laundry rack provided.

I was looking forward to meeting my co-living housemates, but they have yet to move in while I was there, so I got to experience what it was like having the whole unit to myself.

Affinity at Serangoon: Master Bedroom Size

Moving to the master bedroom which is about 140 sq ft, it is furnished with the essentials like a queen sized bed, a bedside table with lock, a regular sized wardrobe, as well as a full-length mirror. All of the bedrooms are able to fit up to a queen sized bed.

There is no TV installed in any of the bedrooms, so you will have to settle with either a projector or your laptop for entertainment needs.

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Affinity at Serangoon Bathroom

In the en suite bathroom, you will be greeted with a large mirror and sink that cleverly conceals the storage, along with a toilet bowl and a closed door shower area that is fitted with a rain shower set for your hot shower needs. However, the shared bathroom comes without the rain shower.

Affinity at Serangoon Living Room

As there was no desk in the master bedroom, I spent most of my time working on my laptop in the living room. I made myself at home and sat down on the rug with my laptop on the coffee table, since the heat outside was too unbearable to enjoy the patio table set up.

WiFi was surprisingly strong in all parts of the house, as I noticed that each room comes with its router machine.

Affinity at Serangoon Kitchen

The kitchen is located right at the entrance of the door, with no wasted space at all. In the fully equipped kitchen, there are all of the essentials from the cooker hood, hob, oven, microwave, fridge, kettle, including dinnerware too.

The 2-in-1 washer and dryer machine is conveniently situated next to the fridge. Along with the 4 seater dining table and sofa set located in the living area. 

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Affinity at Serangoon Condo Swimming Pool

According to the map and information on the website, Affinity at Serangoon condo has a total of 88 facilities. Taking a walk around the development, I was impressed by how the place feels just like being in a resort with plenty swimming pools spread across the compound.

In one of the pools, there is aquatic equipment fitted, something that is less commonly seen in condos and that was when I realised that it is an aqua gym.

There is also the standard condo facilities such as clubhouse, BBQ pit, gym, and the interesting hammock lined around the compound that you can make full use of.

Affinity at Serangoon by Habyt Coliving: Overall Verdict

With an overall apartment unit at 850 sq ft, which is slightly smaller than the typical 4-room HDB BTO size of about 1,000 sq ft, the space can be a little tight with up to 5 people co-living together. The limited bedroom space with no work desk may also make things a bit more difficult on days with you and your housemates all working from home at the same time.

You can take a virtual tour of the apartment over on Habyt's website.

However, co-living is great if you are open to spending a bulk of your time together with new people or if you are staying together with your friends or family, where it feels more like a vacation where you get to enjoy and experience the various unique resort-like facilities over at Affinity at Serangoon.

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This media stay was kindly sponsored by Habyt.