Bespoke Habitat transforms vacant units for short-term family accommodation

Co-living startup offers customisable and affordable short-term accommodation for residents with families in Singapore.

With rental and construction demand continuing to grow in Singapore, some residents with families require a short-term place to stay having bought properties which have experienced construction delays or are continuing to rent due to the high property prices.

This pushed co-living startup Bespoke Habitat to transform eight vacant units in a building at 64C Telok Kurau into affordable Short-Term Accommodation Services (STAS) in four months.

Bespoke Habitat co-founder Ernee Ong said they also serve companies who have employees that need service apartments for four months or six months. The startup is serving 1,500 tenants from multinational corporations.

“In the market, as of now, you don’t find a place that easily for a short-term stay. It is not catered for that. As such, this is where people are coming forward to us,” said Ong.

Aside from Singapore residents, STAS can also attract foreigners looking to live in Singapore temporarily, especially those who want their families to come along on their travels.

The units have a variety of two to three-bedrooms and penthouses at over 1,000 square feet to a 1,600 square-foot house. The price ranges from $4,500 to $7,500 (US$3,330 – US$5,550).

The STAS offers flexible options whether a family wants a bare unit or a fully furnished unit. The fully furnished ones have spacious living rooms, fully-equipped kitchens, and private bedrooms. It also has high-speed Wi-Fi and laundry machines. Some units come with a study area, a terrace with a pool, and a dining area.

Bespoke also provides a rented sofa to liven up and add comfort to the living room. /Bespoke Habitat

Customisable units

For families renting units and bringing only their luggage with them, Ong said Bespoke can offer beds, tables, chairs, and other furniture for rent.

Other perks are the firm’s in-house cleaning services like Bespoke CleanPro and BH Aircon Solutions. All tenants and owners can check on the last service or cleaning status of their respective units with the use of the app.

The app also allows residents to schedule cleaning services, request maintenance, and access a range of other services. 

Future locations

The STAS kicked off at the eastern side of the city-state, where it has proximity to Marine Parade, shopping malls, and corporations in Changi Business Park. But Bespokse Habitat plans to bring the STAS to the western part of Singapore.

“A lot of our contacts are [western part of Singapore]. Majority of our co-living segment, I will say 65%, are in the western part of Singapore. We have fostered a lot of relationships in the community, whether it's school clients or engagement,” said Ong.

Since the accommodation service is affordable, Ong said they make profit by charging a percentage of the management fee.

“We do on a win-win basis — when a performance-based model, for example, for these tests, based on X amount that we were able to contribute to the landlords, then we charge a percentage of management fee,” explained Ong.