Should a Business Buy or Rent Its Office at The Golden Mile?

Published 7 October 2026

The Short Answer for The Golden Mile

A business that expects to stay in one place for many years, wants control over its space and has the capital for the upfront payments often finds buying a strata office makes sense; a business that needs flexibility or wants to keep its capital in operations usually rents. At The Golden Mile, ownership comes with no Additional Buyer’s Stamp Duty and no Seller’s Stamp Duty, which keeps the costs of entry and exit down.

This article sets out the points a business usually weighs.

Control and Stability at The Golden Mile

Owning removes the cycle of lease renewals and rent reviews, and with it the risk of having to move at a landlord’s timing. An owner can fit out the space for the long term: the Loft Offices at The Golden Mile, for instance, allow a mezzanine to be planned as private offices or a meeting floor, with dual-key style entrances if the levels are to be used separately. For a medical practice, owning protects the investment in a clinical fit-out.

Cost and Cash Flow at The Golden Mile

Renting ties up little capital; buying ties up the upfront sum and then replaces rent with loan repayments. On a building under construction, the payments are spread: 20% over the first eight weeks, then instalments as construction proceeds, with the loan drawn progressively. GST at 9% applies to each instalment, though an operating, GST-registered company may generally recover it, subject to the rules set by IRAS.

For an owner-occupier, rent on existing premises continues until the move, alongside interest on the amount drawn. The purchase calculator lays out the schedule and repayments.

Entry and Exit at The Golden Mile

Buyer’s Stamp Duty on the commercial scale tops out at 5%, and no Additional Buyer’s Stamp Duty applies for any buyer profile. On exit, commercial property carries no Seller’s Stamp Duty whatever the holding period, so the timing of a sale is a commercial decision. These figures are as at October 2026; the stamp duty and GST page has the detail.

Who Usually Buys at The Golden Mile

Buyers of strata offices tend to be businesses with a settled base in the city, such as professional practices, family offices, regional offices of established firms and medical practices, and investors who hold units to lease. What they share is a horizon long enough for ownership to pay off against rent, and the capital to fund the upfront payments and GST.

For an owner-occupier, the building’s range helps: a firm can buy a Premium Office now and plan the space around its team, or buy an Enterprise or Crown Office and grow into a whole wing. For an investor, the absence of Seller’s Stamp Duty means the holding period is a commercial choice.

Making the Decision at The Golden Mile

The decision usually comes down to three numbers: the cash to secure the unit, the monthly repayment once the loan is drawn, and the rent the business would otherwise pay. The purchase calculator gives the first two; a current lease gives the third. On the illustrative $3,000,000 at 80% loan-to-value, the cash to secure a unit is $777,600 including GST, Buyer’s Stamp Duty and a legal fee; the figure is an illustration, not a unit price.

The Sales Concierge can run the figures for specific units at The Golden Mile, using the current price list, at a sales gallery appointment.

Timing is part of the comparison. A business that buys at The Golden Mile now pays in stages through construction and moves in after the developer’s expected vacant possession date of 30 September 2029, so the decision often sits alongside the remaining term of its current lease. Mapping the two dates side by side shows whether a renewal, a short extension or a move fits best.

The Asset Itself at The Golden Mile

An owner holds a strata office in a conserved Beach Road landmark with a fresh 99-year lease from November 2024, a waterfront outlook and a building excluded from URA’s Central Area strata-subdivision restrictions. A business that would rather hold that asset than pay rent on someone else’s can compare units at a sales gallery appointment.