Five Chancery
Overview & Key Facts
Five Chancery is one of Singapore's most discreet ultra-luxury addresses — a collection of just 12 freehold strata bungalows tucked along the leafy seclusion of Chancery Lane in District 11. Developed by Tertius Development Pte Ltd (a Straits Trading Company subsidiary), the project was completed in 2011 and occupies a 27,600 sq ft freehold plot, with each bungalow spanning between 4,800 and 6,500 square feet across two storeys plus an attic. At $6M+ per unit, this is emphatically not a condo — it is a private bungalow estate in strata form, offering landed-living prestige with condominium title convenience.
The "Five" in the name pays homage to the address — 5 Chancery Lane — as well as the five-bedroom configuration that defines each home. With its own private pool, private basement car park, lift, and entertainment room per unit, Five Chancery delivers a level of vertical luxury that sits firmly in the same tier as Good Class Bungalow (GCB) living. The average transacted price of $6.15M and median PSF of just $1,071–$1,149 immediately flags the extraordinary scale of these residences: at that PSF, each home is approximately 5,000–5,500 square feet of living space — an almost unheard-of footprint for a strata property in the CCR.
With only 12 units and rental demand generating a full-cycle gross yield of 2.31%, Five Chancery is not an investment play in the conventional sense. It is a lifestyle acquisition — a trophy home for the discerning buyer who wants the exclusivity of landed living with the legal simplicity of strata ownership, in one of the most prestigious school catchment zones in Singapore.
Location & Connectivity
Chancery Lane is among the quietest and most coveted residential enclaves in Singapore's Core Central Region. Flanked by Adam Road to the north and Bukit Timah Road to the west, the lane winds through mature, heritage-lined greenery and is largely free of through-traffic, giving it the calm character of a private estate rather than a city thoroughfare. The address places residents within easy reach of the Orchard Road retail belt (roughly 1.8 km south) and the Bukit Timah education corridor, while enjoying the hush of a landed neighbourhood — a rare juxtaposition at this price point.
Newton MRT Interchange (NSL/DTL) is approximately 0.59 km away — an eight-minute walk through leafy surrounds — making Five Chancery genuinely transit-accessible despite its secluded feel. The dual-line interchange connects directly to the CBD, Orchard, and Chinatown on the North-South Line, and to Botanic Gardens, Buona Vista, and Expo on the Downtown Line. Novena MRT is 0.83 km away, offering direct access to Dhoby Ghaut and the Circle Line via the train network. For drivers, the CTE and PIE are minutes away, putting Changi Airport within 25–30 minutes under normal conditions.
The neighbourhood retail offering is quietly premium. United Square and Novena Square shopping centres are a short drive away, Velocity @ Novena Square caters to active residents, and the Cold Storage at Chancery Court sits less than 500 m from the development. Newton Food Centre — Singapore's most internationally recognised hawker centre — is barely 700 m away, offering a grounding counterpoint to the area's high-net-worth residential character.
Schools & Education
2 primary schools within the 1 km Priority Phase balloting radius.
| School | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Singapore Chinese Girls' School (Primary) | primary | Within 1 km |
| Anglo-Chinese School (Primary) | primary | Within 1 km |
| St. Joseph's Institution | secondary | Within 1 km |
| St. Margaret's Primary School | primary | ~1.0 km |
| St. Margaret's Secondary School | secondary | ~1.1 km |
| New Town Primary School | primary | ~1.2 km |
| St. Anthony's Primary School | primary | ~1.2 km |
| ISS International School (Preston) | international | ~1.4 km |
Facilities
By conventional condo standards, Five Chancery's shared facilities list is modest — there are no tennis courts, clubhouse, or gymnasium as shared amenities. But this framing misses the point entirely. Each of the 12 bungalows comes with its own private swimming pool, a private basement car park, a dedicated lift, and a dedicated entertainment room. The cluster layout means residents enjoy the privacy of a standalone bungalow while sharing perimeter security and landscaped grounds. The development was designed so that each unit functions as a self-contained private estate, not as a condominium that pools resources.
The landscaping along Chancery Lane enhances the sense of seclusion. Mature trees line the approach, and the low-density setting — 12 homes on 27,600 sq ft — means generous plot coverage per unit and meaningful green space between bungalows. Basement parking eliminates the visual clutter of surface carparks, maintaining the estate's manicured aesthetic. For a buyer in this segment, the absence of a shared gym is not a trade-off; it is a feature — discretion and exclusivity over amenity breadth.
"Every home here feels genuinely private — your pool, your garden, your lift. You never hear your neighbours. It's the best of both worlds: landed living with a strata title."
— Property agent, Five Chancery exclusive listing (2024)
Pricing & Market Position
Based on 3 recorded transactions, sale prices range from $4,918,000 to $7,488,888, averaging $6,148,296.
Rents range from $8,800 to $13,500 per month across 12 rental transactions. Current rental yield sits at approximately 2.3%.
Price Appreciation
From 2022 to 2023, the average PSF has appreciated by 7.4% (from $1,071 to $1,149 psf).
Neighbourhood Comparison
Within District 11, Five Chancery's closest strata comparables are Watten House ($3,236 PSF, FH) and Pullman Residences Newton ($3,074 PSF, FH) — both premium CCR condominiums with conventional unit sizes of 600–2,000 sq ft. Five Chancery's PSF of $1,071–$1,149 is dramatically lower, but this is entirely explained by unit scale: a $6M bungalow at 5,400 sq ft yields $1,111 PSF, while a $4M condo unit at 1,300 sq ft yields $3,077 PSF. The absolute price quantum — $5M–$8M per unit — places Five Chancery in the GCB-adjacent luxury segment, not the premium condo segment. Peak Residence ($2,489 PSF, FH) and Amaryllis Ville ($1,899 PSF, 99yr) at smaller unit sizes are not genuine substitutes for buyers who need 4,800+ sq ft and private pool living. The correct comparables are Good Class Bungalows on Adam Road, Chancery Lane, or Caldecott Hill — where land alone can trade above $10M.
| Development | Tenure | TOP | Units | ~Avg PSF |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FIVE CHANCERY | Freehold | 2011 | 12 | — |
| PULLMAN RESIDENCES NEWTON | Freehold | 2021 | 340 | $3,074 |
| WATTEN HOUSE | Freehold | 2023 | 180 | $3,236 |
| SOLEIL @ SINARAN | 99 yrs lease commencing from 2006 | 2011 | 417 | $1,970 |
| PEAK RESIDENCE | Freehold | 2021 | 90 | $2,489 |
| AMARYLLIS VILLE | 99 yrs lease commencing from 1997 | 2004 | 311 | $1,899 |
ShiokNest Scores
Our proprietary scoring system evaluates FIVE CHANCERY across multiple dimensions.
What Residents Say
"We moved here specifically for the school — SCGS is literally a five-minute walk. My daughter walks to school every morning. The whole street is quiet and safe, and we have our own pool for weekends. It doesn't feel like a condo at all — it feels like our own home."
— Owner-resident family, Five Chancery (Chancery Lane enclave)
"The privacy is something you can't put a price on. No shared lobby, no common corridors, no bumping into neighbours at the lift. When you're at your own pool on a Sunday afternoon, you genuinely forget you're in the middle of Singapore's most densely sought CCR district."
— Long-term owner, Five Chancery (via property agent feedback)
"We rented here for three years as an expat family. The size — almost 5,500 sq ft — meant everyone had their own space, including a dedicated home office and a playroom for the kids. The Newton MRT is a comfortable walk away, and the Newton hawker centre is close enough for a Sunday evening out. It's a very special address."
— Former expat tenant, Five Chancery (2021–2024)
Strengths & Weaknesses
- Freehold tenure — no lease decay, permanent ownership security
- SCGS Primary (0.28km) + ACS Primary (0.38km): the two most elite primary school addresses in Singapore, both within walking distance
- St Joseph's Institution (0.56km) for elite secondary education within the same enclave
- Private pool, private lift, and private basement parking per unit — true landed-quality living
- Extraordinary unit size: 4,800–6,500 sq ft, rare for any strata property in the CCR
- Just 12 units — exceptional exclusivity and privacy; no crowded lifts or shared corridors
- Mature, low-traffic Chancery Lane enclave — quiet, leafy, and prestigious address
- Newton MRT Interchange (NSL/DTL) within 0.59 km — excellent transit connectivity for a landed-style home
- Newton Food Centre (0.7km) and United Square (1.5km) for everyday convenience
- Irreplaceable location: Chancery Lane freehold cluster supply is permanently constrained
- Gross yield of 2.31% is below CCR average — not suited to yield-driven investors
- High absolute entry price ($5M–$8M) limits buyer pool and resale liquidity
- Minimal shared amenity infrastructure — no clubhouse, gymnasium, or tennis court
- Only 3 recent sales transactions in 12 months — thin resale market, pricing discovery is opaque
- PSF optics ($1,071–$1,149) do not reflect market positioning — can confuse buyers expecting condo-scale units
- Maintenance costs for private pool and large bungalow footprint are substantial
- No shuttle bus or concierge services typical of luxury condos at this price tier
- Limited unit variety — all configurations are large-format family homes; unsuitable for singles or couples
Verdict
Five Chancery occupies a genuinely rare niche in Singapore's residential market: freehold strata bungalows of this size, in this location, with this school proximity, simply do not come to market often. The combination of SCGS Primary (0.28 km), ACS Primary (0.38 km), and St Joseph's Institution (0.56 km) within walking distance — all in the same estate — creates one of the most powerful school-catchment trifectas in the entire island. For expat families and Singapore permanent residents seeking Phase 2A/2B registration advantage at elite schools, this address is effectively irreplaceable.
The trade-off is transparency on yield. At $6.1M average price and $11,242 average monthly rent, the gross yield of 2.31% sits below the CCR average and will not satisfy yield-driven investors. The 12-rental-cycle data on 12 units suggests high occupancy (likely long-term expat family tenancies at $10,000–$14,000/month), but capital appreciation will drive total returns far more than rental income. The freehold tenure and the irreproducible nature of the location — Chancery Lane cannot be replicated — underpin long-term capital preservation arguments strongly.
Five Chancery is best understood as a lifestyle-first acquisition with solid capital-preservation characteristics. Buyers should enter with a 7–10 year horizon, treating the rental yield as partial cost offset rather than the primary return driver. For owner-occupiers with school-age children, the value proposition is essentially unquantifiable — the school proximity advantage alone justifies a meaningful premium over comparable CCR strata properties without it.