Gem Residences
Can a 578-unit mass-market condo in District 12 still feel like a homecoming rather than a development? Gem Residences in Lorong 6 Toa Payoh asks that question of every buyer who walks through its gates (as of 2026-05). The estate sits on the seam between Singapore's first satellite town and the newer Bidadari precinct — close enough to Boon Keng MRT on the North East Line to commute in shirtsleeves, far enough from the CBD to keep quantum below the psychological RCR ceiling. With ~88 years of lease still on the clock from its 2015 TOP and an Evia–Maxdin–Gamuda joint-venture pedigree, it is one of those rare projects where heritage location and modern integrated amenities arrive in the same package. The catch: at 578 units, resale supply is thick, and the rental ceiling for District 12 condos has historically tracked below CCR comparables. This review weighs both sides for the 2026 buyer.
Gem Residences was launched in 2016 by the joint venture of Evia Real Estate, Maxdin, and Malaysian construction giant Gamuda Berhad, on a 99-year leasehold site awarded in 2015 (as of 2026-05). TOP followed in 2018, and the estate now occupies a 124,000 sq ft parcel along Lorong 6 Toa Payoh, fronting the heritage HDB blocks of Singapore's pioneer satellite town. The unit mix spans one-bedders around 484 sq ft up to four-bedroom dual-keys north of 1,400 sq ft, with a meaningful share of compact two-bedders that have historically been the bread-and-butter of the rental market here. According to URA caveats data, transacted PSF has ranged from the high-S$1,500s to the low-S$2,000s across recent quarters, with one-bedders predictably commanding the premium per square foot. The site sits within easy walking distance of Boon Keng MRT on the North East Line, with the future Thomson–East Coast Line alignment threading through nearby Bidadari adding optionality for the next decade. Buyers comparing against District 13 alternatives like The Tre Ver or Park Colonial should note that Gem Residences trades the riverside or interchange premium for proximity to Toa Payoh Town Centre's hawker heritage and the established schooling cluster around First Toa Payoh Primary and CHIJ Toa Payoh. Use the mortgage calculator to model financing on the typical S$1.6–S$2.0M two-bedder quantum.
Overview & Key Facts
GEM Residences occupies a rare position in Singapore’s private residential landscape: it is one of only three condominiums in the entire Toa Payoh estate, sitting at Lorong 5 in District 12’s Rest of Central Region. Completed in April 2020, the development comprises two towers — one 37-storey and one 38-storey — delivering 578 units across a well-landscaped site that punches well above its neighbourhood expectations.
The project is a joint venture by three partners: Evia Real Estate, a Singapore-based developer with a track record including Heron Bay and Austville Residences; Maxdin Pte Ltd (a Greatearth Holding subsidiary, the construction arm behind multiple award-winning Singapore projects); and Gamuda Berhad, one of Malaysia’s largest listed infrastructure and property groups. Together they incorporated GEM Homes Pte Ltd as the project vehicle — and the collaboration shows in an ambition that sets GEM Residences apart from the typical mid-market condo.
The development’s defining concept is a “club condo” model — a deliberate attempt to blur the line between five-star hotel living and residential ownership. From a 24-hour concierge desk offering food ordering, grocery shopping, and laundry services to weekly on-site medical consultations, edible gardens, and a dedicated pet pool, GEM Residences was engineered to deliver a lifestyle product rather than simply a housing unit in a mature HDB estate. On these terms, it largely delivers — though buyers should weigh the lifestyle premium against leasehold realities and an MRT walk that requires genuine honesty.
GEM Residences also holds a modest place in Singapore property history: it introduced the country’s first triple-key (or “Trio”) residential units, a product concept that drew both consumer enthusiasm and regulatory intervention from URA during the launch phase. That episode is relevant context for investors: it signals both the developer’s creative ambition and the regulatory boundaries that constrain it.
Location & Connectivity
GEM Residences sits within Toa Payoh, one of Singapore’s most established HDB towns and a mature estate with a strong local identity. The immediate surroundings are decidedly heartland — HDB blocks in all directions, a temple adjacent to the site, and the ambient noise of a busy arterial road along Lorong 5. For buyers seeking the tranquil greenery of a landed enclave, this is not that development. What Toa Payoh delivers instead is unrivalled daily-convenience density: hawker centres, kopitiam, polyclinics, Toa Payoh Hub (library, stadium, sports complex), and decades of infrastructure built around practical living.
The nearest MRT is Braddell Station (North-South Line) at 500 metres — which sounds walkable on paper but translates to roughly 10–12 minutes on foot in Singapore’s heat. Toa Payoh MRT and its bus interchange is 870 metres in the other direction, offering both NSL connectivity and an extensive bus network to most of the island. Residents who are MRT-dependent should be honest with themselves: neither station is truly walkable by Singapore commuter standards, and a bus or short ride-hail will be a daily fixture for most households. That said, the NSL delivers direct access to Orchard Road in four stops, Bishan in one stop, and Dhoby Ghaut in six — the node quality is good once you reach it.
For drivers, the picture is substantially better. The CTE is accessible within minutes, connecting to the PIE, KPE, and the planned North-South Corridor. The CBD is approximately 15 minutes in off-peak conditions. The Toa Payoh Lorong 5 Food Centre — home to legendary plates of Hokkien mee and char kway teow — is a four-minute walk. Courts, SAFRA Toa Payoh, and multiple supermarkets are within five minutes by car.
The school situation is among the strongest in this sub-market. First Toa Payoh Primary School is 140 metres away — effectively next door, placing Phase 2C balloting within almost guaranteed reach for eligible buyers. Pei Chun Public School is 310 metres away, and CHIJ Secondary Toa Payoh 730 metres. For families oriented around primary school priority, GEM Residences is arguably the best-positioned condo in the immediate area.
Schools & Education
4 primary schools within the 1 km Priority Phase balloting radius.
| School | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| First Toa Payoh Primary School | primary | Within 1 km |
| Manjusri Secondary School | secondary | Within 1 km |
| Pei Chun Public School | primary | Within 1 km |
| De La Salle School | primary | Within 1 km |
| Balestier Hill Primary School | primary | Within 1 km |
| CHIJ Secondary (Toa Payoh) | secondary | Within 1 km |
| School of Science and Technology | jc | Within 1 km |
| Beatty Secondary School | secondary | Within 1 km |
Facilities
The facilities offering is where GEM Residences most clearly differentiates itself — and where the “club condo” label earns its keep. Across a two-tower development of 578 units, the site delivers a facilities suite that competes with developments twice its size and at considerably higher price points.
The swimming pool is competition-grade and oriented for serious lap swimmers. A sky bar on the upper levels provides panoramic views across Toa Payoh and towards the city skyline — a genuine differentiator in a neighbourhood where rooftop amenity is essentially non-existent elsewhere. The gym is well-equipped, and the development includes dedicated fitness and dance classes run by external instructors, with scheduling managed through the concierge desk.
What makes GEM Residences genuinely unusual — even among Singapore’s broader condo market — is the concierge service infrastructure. Residents can order meals from a curated menu via the concierge, request grocery shopping assistance, arrange laundry pickup, book private chefs, access tech support for home networking, and receive discounts for regional attractions in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Phuket, and Bali. A weekly visiting doctor from the Tetsuyu team provides free consultations, with optional health screening packages at preferential rates. The parcel locker system (30 lockers of varying sizes) sends automated notifications on delivery receipt — a feature that has become standard in newer launches but was ahead of its time at GEM Residences’ launch.
Pet owners are unusually well served. A dedicated pet pool, pet run, and pet shower station are provided — facilities that most condominiums still do not offer in 2026. The edible garden (by Edible Garden City) gives residents a planting plot with a starter kit and coaching sessions, adding a community-building dimension that goes beyond conventional landscaping. Car-sharing (SMOVE) is available for residents who do not own a vehicle, reducing car ownership cost while maintaining mobility flexibility.
“The newest condo in Toa Payoh/Bishan. The others around Toa Payoh are just so so old. Good facilities and nice pools. Rooftop views very spectacular. Near MRT and amenities all around.”
— Resident review via EdgeProp
The practical caveat: the concierge-model services are only as good as their execution day-to-day, and management quality has drawn mixed feedback over the years. The wheel-clamping incident widely circulated on Google — where a guest’s vehicle was clamped in the designated guest lot after 11pm with no notification attempt — reflects a pattern that some reviewers describe as over-zealous security enforcement relative to resident hospitality. This is worth asking about directly with current residents before committing.
Unit Sizes & Layout
GEM Residences covers 22 floor plan types across a tight size range, from 452 sqft one-bedroom Suites up to 2,045 sqft for the now-sold Moonstone Penthouse. The unit mix is weighted toward smaller configurations: 1-bedders (19%), 2-bedders of various types (38%), and 3-bedders (29%) make up the bulk of the development. Four-bedroom (6%) and five-bedroom (6%) units round out the range, with each of these larger layouts typically better suited to families than investors.
The standout product innovation is the Dual Key (2BR, 778 sqft, 36 units) and Triple Key “Trio” (3BR, 980 sqft, 37 units) configurations. The Dual Key concept — a main unit with an attached self-contained studio sub-unit sharing a common front door but with separate interior access — is well-established in Singapore. The Triple Key was more radical: three self-contained sub-units within a single 980 sqft envelope. URA intervened during the launch phase, requiring the developer to modify the Trio units to include only one full kitchen rather than three, as the approved plans had not reflected multiple kitchens. The units were ultimately delivered with the modification, and the Trio configuration remains a genuine rental-yield play for investors: three tenants sharing a single 980 sqft footprint can theoretically generate rental income that a conventional three-bedder at the same size cannot approach.
Standard unit sizes are compact relative to earlier-generation condominiums: a 2-bedroom Premier comes in at 678 sqft, while the 3-bedroom Executive ranges from 936 to 1,012 sqft. These are in line with — not especially generous for — post-2015 Singapore launches. Buyers coming from older resale stock will notice the smaller footprints immediately, particularly in the secondary bedrooms. The two-tower configuration with an inter-block separation of approximately 47 metres means privacy between towers is reasonable — most residents report not being able to clearly see into neighbouring units.
The higher floors in both towers deliver genuinely good views. Upper-floor units facing the city direction look across Toa Payoh’s low-rise HDB fabric toward the CBD skyline. The sky bar captures this advantage communally, but buyers on higher residential floors also benefit. Lower floors facing the adjacent temple may experience intermittent noise during festival periods — worth factoring into stack selection.
| Bedrooms | Transactions | Avg PSF | Avg Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 BR | 30 | $1,822 | $854,359 |
| 1 BR | 63 | $1,843 | $1,156,915 |
| 2 BR | 43 | $1,833 | $1,650,479 |
| 3 BR | 59 | $1,843 | $2,099,516 |
| 4 BR | 1 | $1,827 | $2,988,888 |
Pricing & Market Position
Based on 196 recorded transactions, sale prices range from $795,000 to $2,988,888, averaging $1,511,976 (~$2,023 psf).
Rents range from $1,500 to $8,000 per month across 954 rental transactions. Current rental yield sits at approximately 2.7%.
Price Appreciation
From 2021 to 2026, the average PSF has appreciated by 21.8% (from $1,671 to $2,035 psf).
Neighbourhood Comparison
The most immediate comparison is The Orie, launched in early 2025 at the same Toa Payoh/Braddell address catchment. At approximately S$2,730 psf, The Orie commands a ~35% premium over GEM Residences on a per-square-foot basis but offers a fresh 99-year lease from 2025, developer warranties, and contemporary finishings. The trade-off is straightforward: buyers who prioritise lease longevity and a clean re-sale horizon pay the premium; those who accept a 10-year-consumed lease in exchange for immediate cost savings buy GEM Residences.
Trevista at Boon Keng — the other comparable RCR leasehold condo in this sub-market — transacts at approximately S$1,696 psf. Trevista is a 2009 project (99-year lease from 2007, ~81 years remaining vs GEM Residences’ ~88 years) with a larger site and more traditional facilities. At a S$300 psf discount to GEM Residences, Trevista appeals to buyers who weight lease remaining years more heavily than lifestyle amenity.
Eight Riversuites at Whampoa (S$1,639 psf, ~81 years remaining) sits below GEM Residences on PSF and lease, with a riverfront location that offers a different amenity proposition. Eight Riversuites is closer to Boon Keng MRT and carries a more investor-weighted tenant profile than GEM Residences’ largely owner-occupier community.
Verticus at Balestier (S$2,122 psf, 99-year lease from 2021) is the closest comparator in terms of lease freshness. Verticus has superior MRT proximity to Novena and Balestier MRT, a more urban street-level context, and newer finishings — at a ~$100 psf premium to GEM Residences. For buyers not attached to the Toa Payoh school catchment, Verticus offers better MRT and a cleaner lease at a modest premium.
Stacked Homes’ comparative analysis of GEM Residences vs The Orie quantifies the choice well: GEM Residences’ HDB upgrader demand base and unique concierge positioning provide support, but The Orie’s fresh lease and higher entry bar (primarily targeting buyers with longer investment horizons) represent a structurally different value proposition.
| Development | Tenure | TOP | Units | ~Avg PSF |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GEM RESIDENCES | 99 yrs lease commencing from 2015 | — | 578 | $2,023 |
| THE ORIE | 99 yrs lease commencing from 2024 | 2025 | 52 | $2,730 |
| EIGHT RIVERSUITES | 99 yrs lease commencing from 2011 | 2016 | 843 | $1,643 |
| TREVISTA | 99 yrs lease commencing from 2008 | — | 590 | $1,702 |
| VERTICUS | Freehold | 2021 | 162 | $2,122 |
| THE ARCADY AT BOON KENG | Freehold | 2024 | 172 | $2,598 |
ShiokNest Scores
Our proprietary scoring system evaluates GEM RESIDENCES across multiple dimensions.
What Residents Say
“The newest condo in Toa Payoh — the others around are just so old. Great facilities, nice pools, rooftop views very spectacular. Near MRT and amenities all around.”
— Resident review via EdgeProp
“The concierge service and the concept really feel like hotel living. Never expected this in Toa Payoh. Facilities for the pet are a huge bonus — the dog pool is real and the pet run is well maintained.”
— Resident review via PropertyGuru
“Nice concept but the bedrooms are quite small and there is very little walking space. Surrounded by HDB blocks and the temple nearby can be noisy on festival days. Security is very strict — my guest got wheel-clamped in the guest lot after 11pm and nobody called us despite them providing details at the entrance.”
— Resident review via 99.co
The pattern across review platforms is fairly consistent. Residents value the concierge services, the facilities differentiation, the school proximity, and the view quality from upper floors. Recurring frustrations centre on secondary bedroom sizing, traffic and ambient noise from the surrounding estate, and what some describe as over-enforcement by security management. EdgeProp and PropertyGuru listings show healthy turnover in the resale market, suggesting liquidity is adequate — though Dual Key and Triple Key units do trade less frequently and may require longer marketing periods.
Four structural strengths anchor Gem Residences in the District 12 conversation (as of 2026-05):
- Boon Keng MRT walkability — The NEL station sits roughly 350–450 metres from the development gate, putting Dhoby Ghaut in three stops and Raffles Place in seven. That is genuine sub-15-minute CBD access without the CCR price tag, and it is what underwrites the rental thesis for compact units here. Cross-reference the commute time map to see how Boon Keng's catchment compares against Bidadari and Potong Pasir.
- Toa Payoh heritage town premium — Unlike newer satellite towns where amenities are still maturing, Toa Payoh has had fifty years to develop its hawker centres, polyclinic, library, swimming complex, and primary-school cluster. The HDB Hub at Toa Payoh Central is one stop away on the NEL, anchoring an integrated retail and civic ecosystem that buyers in newer estates frequently lack.
- Lease runway and quantum positioning — With ~88 years remaining on the 99-year tenure, the project still sits comfortably above the 80-year threshold that conservative CPF and bank underwriters watch. Combined with RCR pricing that keeps total quantum below the affordability ceiling for many dual-income households, this is a project where the math still works for upgraders, not just investors.
- Bidadari precinct adjacency — The Housing & Development Board's Bidadari estate, just north of the site, has been progressively delivering BTO completions, a town park, and new commercial nodes. According to HDB's Bidadari microsite, the masterplan continues to roll out through the late 2020s, lifting the broader catchment area Gem Residences sits within.
Three risks deserve sober airtime before any offer (as of 2026-05):
- 578-unit absorption overhang — A development of this scale rarely trades thinly. Resale supply is consistently above ten active listings at any given time, and competing stack-to-stack inventory means sellers cannot dictate pricing the way they might in a 150-unit boutique. Buyers should expect to negotiate and check the comparison tool against similar-quantum alternatives before committing.
- RCR yield ceiling — District 12 rental yields, per URA rental contracts data, have historically clustered in the 3.0–3.6 percent gross band for mass-market RCR condos — respectable, but below what CCR luxury or OCR newer launches sometimes achieve. Investors using the ROI calculator should stress-test against the lower end of that range, especially with elevated interest rates compressing net cash-on-cash returns.
- Lease decay at year 11 — Although ~88 years sounds generous today, the lease-decay curve accelerates in the second half of a 99-year tenure. Buyers planning to hold beyond a 15-year horizon should run the lease decay calculator to understand how CPF withdrawal limits and bank LTV constraints tighten as the property crosses the 60-year remaining-lease threshold. This is not a unique risk to Gem Residences, but it is one mass-market buyers often discount until refinancing or exit comes up.
Gem Residences fits three buyer archetypes more naturally than others (as of 2026-05). The first is the HDB upgrader with Toa Payoh roots — the household that sold a four- or five-room flat in the surrounding heartland, wants to stay within the school catchment, and needs a quantum below S$2M for a comfortable two- or three-bedder. For this profile, the heritage town familiarity outweighs the appeal of newer but less-established precincts. The second is the dual-income investor targeting NEL tenants — young professionals and expat couples who work along the North East Line corridor (Dhoby Ghaut, Clarke Quay, HarbourFront) and prize a 25-minute door-to-desk commute. Compact units here lease readily, though gross yields will not break 4 percent at current PSF; run the math through the cash flow calculator to confirm the carry. The third is the RCR diversifier — a buyer who already owns CCR or OCR and wants a District 12 anchor to round out exposure across the price-tier price heatmap. Where Gem Residences is less ideal: lifestyle buyers chasing River Valley or Orchard amenity density, or families wanting a top-tier MOE branded school catchment — the Toa Payoh primaries are solid but not GEP-magnet caliber. Use the total cost calculator to layer stamp duty, legal, and renovation against quantum before deciding which archetype fits.
Gem Residences is, on balance, a buy-with-discipline for the right archetype (as of 2026-05). The Boon Keng MRT walkability, Toa Payoh heritage town adjacency, and ~88-year lease runway form a structurally sound triangle that newer 60-year-runway integrated projects in adjacent districts cannot replicate without a meaningful premium. The Bidadari precinct's continued maturation provides a tailwind that the next five years should make more visible in rental and resale pricing. That said, the 578-unit count is real — this is not a scarcity play, and any buyer expecting boutique-style appreciation should temper expectations. Compare carefully against The Tre Ver in District 13 if riverside lifestyle matters more than heritage town access, against Park Colonial if NEL-Bidadari interchange optionality is the priority, and against Bartley Residences if a CCL station catchment edges out NEL for your commute pattern. For the upgrader or NEL-corridor investor with a 7–15 year horizon and a S$1.6–S$2.0M quantum target, Gem Residences earns a place on the shortlist. For shorter-horizon flippers or buyers chasing yield above 3.6 percent gross, the math is harder to make work. Sanity-check the financing scenario with the TDSR calculator before submitting any OTP.