What is a SOHO Apartment?

Let's take a look at the SOHO apartment concept in layman terms

What is a SOHO apartment?

SOHO stands for Small Office, Home Office. It is a hybrid apartment for residential and commercial purposes and allows people to work and live in the same house.

Distinctive Design

Soho apartment unit usually 'lofty', meaning they come with a high ceiling. The high ceiling is suitable for building a mezzanine, which is an elevated platform (with staircase) that can be used for putting a bed or office desk.

Who is suitable to live in a SOHO apartment?

- People who cannot separate home and work, or like the idea of merging their work and home
- People who love their work and view it as part of their lifestyle that fulfills them.They usually 'work to live'.
- Young couples, singles, foreigners. Soho apartments are usually more compact and not very family friendly.
- Startup entrepreneurs and small business owners who want to save on office rental costs by combining their work and living spaces, staying in a centrally located area near to the heart of business activities, or simply for the convenience of not having to travel for work daily.

Types of business that are suitable for SOHO apartments:

- Consultants /  Coaches
- Solo business owners or entrpreneurs
- Designers (e.g. fashion, interior, graphic)
- Freelancers
- Architects
- Accounting
- Boutique Public Relations or Ad Agency
- Events Planning
- Mainly professional services provider that will not create disturbances to their neighbors
- For businesses where the number of non-residents (including employees, partners and directors) engaged in the business at the Home Office unit is limited to a maximum of 2.

SOHO business guideline:

SOHO businesses are considered home businesses that are under the guideline of URA's (Urban Redevelopment Authority)  Home Office Scheme policy.

Businesses that are not permitted under the Home Office Scheme are: 

1. Maid Agency/Employment Agency
2. Contractors Business
3. Car Trading Business
4. Commercial School e.g. music, dance, language school or tuition centre
5. Sales/Marketing that involve conducting seminars/talks for large number of customers
6. Courier Business
7. Manufacture/Preparation/Processing of products and goods. Examples are food products, beverages, textiles, apparel, handbags, footwear, wood and paper products, pharmaceutical products, soap, food chemicals, additives, joss sticks, camphor products, glass, plastic, rubber products, domestic appliances, watches and clocks and other related products
8. Ophthalmic Dispensing/Pharmacy/Medical or Dental Clinics/Veterinary Medicine
9. Card Reading/Palm Reading or fortune telling in any form
10. Funeral chapels or homes
11. Mausoleums
12. Shops and any form of retail activity, including pet shops.
13. Food Catering/Restaurants
14. Conducting of dress making/embroidery lessons
15. Repair of household appliances, electrical products, footwear, etc.
16. Beauty /Hair-Dressing/Massage therapy services

Click here for more information on URA's 'Home Office Scheme' for private residential property.