The Bently Residences@kovan
Overview & Key Facts
The Bently Residences @ Kovan is a 48-unit freehold condominium developed by Goodland Global Pte Ltd, completed in 2018 and situated along Kovan Road in District 19. With just 48 units, it sits firmly at the boutique end of the OCR spectrum — a scale that delivers genuine privacy, uncrowded facilities, and a residential character that stands apart from the mass-market leasehold megadevelopments that dominate the Serangoon–Kovan corridor.
The headline numbers reveal an interesting profile. At an average PSF of S$1,646 and an average transacted price of S$1,351,167 against a median of S$1,280,000 — the relatively tight spread between mean and median signals a reasonably homogeneous unit mix, unlike developments with dramatic outlier penthouse transactions. With 18 sales and 58 rental transactions recorded, the rental-to-sales ratio of over 3:1 confirms that the building functions as much as a yield vehicle as a home, consistent with the Kovan area’s popularity among both Singaporean families and working professionals who value the neighbourhood’s market-town character and NEL connectivity.
Goodland Global is a boutique Singapore developer with a focused pipeline of small-scale residential projects. Their approach prioritises site selection and tenure quality over volume — The Bently Residences reflects this: a freehold D19 address at a price point that competes favourably against much larger leasehold neighbours. The profitability score of 69 out of 100 indicates that most transacting owners have realised reasonable gains, validating the thesis even as the investment score of 40 and en-bloc probability of 34 signal that this is not a speculative play but rather a steady-yield, long-hold freehold asset.
Location & Connectivity
Kovan Road sits within one of the North-East’s most distinctive residential precincts. The area retains a kampung-meets-suburb character that developers cannot manufacture: low-rise landed housing lines many of the side streets, Chomp Chomp Food Centre operates as a beloved community institution, and Kovan Heartland Mall provides day-to-day retail without the glass-tower sterility of newer mixed-use developments. It is a neighbourhood that Singaporeans who grew up in the North-East return to — and increasingly, one that younger buyers are rediscovering as Serangoon becomes a major interchange and commercial hub.
Kovan MRT (North-East Line, NE13) is approximately 0.8–1.0 km from The Bently Residences — a 10–12 minute walk that is manageable for residents not reliant on daily MRT commuting, though less convenient than the true “walkable” standard of sub-500 m. The NEL from Kovan runs directly south to Serangoon Interchange (NE12), where the Circle Line adds connections to Bishan, Dhoby Ghaut, and the western corridor. The Serangoon interchange itself is approximately 1.3 km from the development, making bus and occasional MRT access the practical pattern for most residents.
Chomp Chomp Food Centre is the neighbourhood anchor — an open-air hawker complex on Serangoon Gardens Way that draws residents and visitors from across the North-East for satay, oyster omelette, and barbecue seafood. It is a five-minute drive or a comfortable 15-minute evening walk from Kovan Road. Kovan Heartland Mall on Kovan Road provides supermarket (Cold Storage), food court, clinics, and essential retail within close walking distance. For comprehensive shopping, NEX at Serangoon is accessible by bus or a short drive, offering seven storeys of retail, an NTUC FairPrice Extra, and multiplex cinema.
Facilities
At 48 units, The Bently Residences @ Kovan delivers the standard boutique residential amenity package: a swimming pool, gymnasium, and communal landscaped areas. The facilities are sized and specified for the unit count rather than for brochure impact. The pool is genuinely uncrowded — a 48-unit resident population means that lap swimmers and leisure users rarely compete for space — and the gym provides daily-use equipment adequate for most fitness routines without the full-rack setup of a 500-unit resort development.
Buyers comparing The Bently against larger OCR developments — The Florence Residences (1,410 units), Riverfront Residences (1,451 units), or Chuan Park (916 units) — will find the facilities profile a clear trade-off. There is no tennis court, no barbecue pavilion set, no dedicated function rooms or club lounge. The trade is explicit: in exchange for boutique-scale amenities, residents get freehold tenure, a dramatically lower unit count, and management fees distributed among fewer owners over a simpler facilities footprint.
“The pool is always quiet — you can actually swim lengths without dodging anyone. In a 48-unit building that’s just how it works. No queuing for the gym either. It’s a real quality-of-life thing that you don’t fully appreciate until you’ve lived in a development with 400 units competing for the same treadmill.”
— Resident feedback via PropertyGuru
The maintenance fee structure is a genuine consideration for boutique freehold buyers. Fixed overheads — security, landscaping, pool maintenance, lift contracts — are shared among 48 owners rather than 500, which typically results in higher per-unit monthly fees than in comparable-specification larger developments. Prospective buyers should request the current maintenance fee schedule and factor it into their yield calculations. However, the absence of elaborate facilities also constrains how high the ongoing maintenance burden can grow — there are no resort pools, spas, or tennis court resurfacing cycles to budget for.
Unit Sizes & Layout
The Bently Residences @ Kovan was completed in 2018, placing it in the modern era of Singapore residential design — post the worst of the sub-500 sq ft shoebox era, but also post the more generous layouts of the 2000s. Based on the development’s 48-unit scale and average price of S$1,351,167 at S$1,646 PSF, the implied average unit size is approximately 820 sq ft — consistent with a mix of 2-bedroom and 3-bedroom configurations that represent the typical Kovan buyer profile: professionals, couples, and small families seeking a freehold North-East address at a meaningful discount to the CCR.
Interior specifications from Goodland Global’s 2018 delivery reflect a developer focused on solid mid-market OCR finish rather than premium splendour. Layouts are functional, with living and dining areas sized for actual habitation, and kitchens that accommodate full-sized appliances. The 2018 completion date means that finishes remain contemporary without yet requiring the wholesale renovation that 2005–2010 era units typically require. Buyers looking at resale units can expect to inherit a property in liveable condition with selective upgrading potential in bathrooms and kitchen surfaces.
“The unit layout is clean and practical. Nothing wasted on awkward angles or over-designed alcoves. The bedroom sizes are decent for what you’re paying — real furniture fits, which is not always guaranteed at the 800 sq ft price point these days.”
— Owner-occupier feedback via EdgeProp
With only 18 recorded sales transactions across the period, individual data points carry high weight in the PSF average. Buyers and agents should review the composition of underlying transactions — unit type, floor level, stack orientation — before drawing precise valuation conclusions. The median price of S$1,280,000 against an average of S$1,351,167 suggests that the unit mix is reasonably consistent, with limited outlier distortion from penthouse or attic-format transactions.
| Bedrooms | Transactions | Avg PSF | Avg Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 BR | 1 | $1,620 | $715,000 |
| 1 BR | 6 | $1,622 | $959,667 |
| 2 BR | 3 | $1,416 | $1,250,000 |
| 3 BR | 5 | $1,534 | $1,654,600 |
| 4 BR | 2 | $1,220 | $1,772,500 |
| 5 BR | 2 | $1,194 | $2,530,000 |
Pricing & Market Position
Based on 19 recorded transactions, sale prices range from $715,000 to $2,780,000, averaging $1,426,368 (~$1,291 psf).
Rents range from $1,700 to $5,200 per month across 60 rental transactions. Current rental yield sits at approximately 2.6%.
Price Appreciation
From 2021 to 2026, the average PSF has declined by 8% (from $1,403 to $1,291 psf).
Neighbourhood Comparison
The competitive landscape in the Serangoon–Kovan–Hougang corridor is dominated by large leasehold developments. Chuan Park (99yr, 916 units, S$2,596 PSF) is the most prominent data point: a major 2024 launch that has reset PSF expectations for the area, but on a 99-year depreciating lease with a per-unit price point well above The Bently’s S$1,351,167 average. The PSF gap — S$950 per square foot — is substantial enough to warrant serious consideration of what a buyer receives in exchange: scale, comprehensive facilities, and developer branding versus freehold permanence and boutique privacy.
The Florence Residences (99yr, 1,410 units, S$1,743 PSF) and Affinity at Serangoon (99yr, 1,012 units, S$1,698 PSF) both sit within S$50–100 PSF of The Bently’s freehold pricing — a striking comparison. Buyers considering these leasehold alternatives at roughly equivalent PSF are choosing comprehensive resort facilities, stronger transaction liquidity, and developer-brand recognition over The Bently’s permanent tenure. For tenure-agnostic buyers, the leasehold options offer clear advantages in facilities and liquidity. For tenure-conscious buyers, paying a similar PSF for a 99-year lease versus freehold is a straightforward decision in The Bently’s favour. Riverfront Residences (99yr, 1,451 units, S$1,586 PSF) sits S$60 PSF below The Bently on a leasehold basis — offering the largest discount of the comparable set against the freehold premium.
The honest framing for a prospective buyer: The Bently Residences wins on tenure and neighbourhood character but loses on facilities breadth, transaction liquidity, and MRT proximity relative to the larger leasehold alternatives. Buyers who have decided that freehold permanence is a non-negotiable criterion will find it very difficult to source a comparable option in D19 at similar pricing. Buyers for whom facilities, liquidity, or MRT distance are prioritised should look seriously at Florence Residences or Affinity at Serangoon before committing.
| Development | Tenure | TOP | Units | ~Avg PSF |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| THE BENTLY RESIDENCES@KOVAN | Freehold | 2018 | 48 | $1,291 |
| CHUAN PARK | 99 yrs lease commencing from 2024 | 2024 | 916 | $2,596 |
| THE FLORENCE RESIDENCES | 99 yrs lease commencing from 2018 | 2021 | 1,410 | $1,746 |
| RIVERFRONT RESIDENCES | 99 yrs lease commencing from 2018 | 2021 | 1,451 | $1,589 |
| AFFINITY AT SERANGOON | 99 yrs lease commencing from 2018 | 2021 | 1,012 | $1,699 |
| SERANGOON GARDEN ESTATE | Freehold | 2021 | — | $1,735 |
ShiokNest Scores
Our proprietary scoring system evaluates THE BENTLY RESIDENCES@KOVAN across multiple dimensions.
What Residents Say
“Kovan Road is quiet at night and the development is smaller than anything nearby. We know our neighbours by name. There’s a real community feel that you just don’t get in the large new launches around Serangoon.”
— Owner-occupier feedback via PropertyGuru
“Chomp Chomp is a 15-minute walk — we’re there at least twice a week. Kovan Heartland Mall is close for daily things. It’s very liveable. The MRT is not quite walking distance but we cycle or take a Grab. Not a deal-breaker.”
— Resident feedback via EdgeProp
“I bought freehold specifically because I didn’t want to worry about lease decay in twenty years. At this price point in D19, there were not many freehold options. The boutique size was actually a selling point for us.”
— Owner, feedback via 99.co
The resident profile at The Bently Residences divides naturally between owner-occupiers — typically Singaporean families and professionals who chose Kovan for neighbourhood character and freehold tenure — and tenants renting for the North-East lifestyle and NEL access. The 58 rental transactions relative to 18 sales confirms a building that works as both a home and a yield asset. Landlords benefit from the Kovan area’s persistent rental demand from working professionals who find the Serangoon–Kovan corridor convenient for CBD and business park commutes via the NEL.
The small 48-unit scale shapes community dynamics meaningfully. Residents consistently describe a building that is quiet, well-managed, and where unit owners take genuine interest in communal upkeep. Turnover in owner-occupier units is low — a pattern consistent with long-hold freehold conviction — while the rental units cycle through tenants at relatively standard 12–24 month lease terms.
Strengths & Weaknesses
- Freehold tenure in D19 — one of the very few freehold options in the Serangoon–Kovan corridor
- Competitive freehold pricing: S$1,646 PSF vs leasehold Florence Residences at S$1,743 PSF and Affinity at S$1,698 PSF
- Profitability score 69/100 — most transacting owners have realised reasonable capital gains
- Boutique 48-unit scale — uncrowded pool, quiet building, genuine sense of community
- Mature Kovan neighbourhood — fully-formed character, Chomp Chomp hawker culture, low-rise ambience
- Kovan Heartland Mall nearby for daily essentials: Cold Storage, food court, clinics
- NEX at Serangoon (NEL interchange) accessible by bus or short drive — seven storeys of retail and cinema
- PSF has appreciated from S$1,403 (year 0) to S$1,673 (year 4) — steady 19% gain over four years
- 58 rental transactions from 48 units — demonstrates persistent tenant pipeline in the Kovan precinct
- 2018 completion — contemporary specifications without the wholesale renovation needs of older stock
- Kovan MRT (NEL) is approximately 0.8–1.0km — a 10–12 minute walk, not truly walkable for daily commuters
- Investment score 40/100 — not a high-yield or high-liquidity investment vehicle
- En-bloc probability 34/100 — low collective sale prospects, limiting windfall upside
- Thin transaction volume: 18 recorded sales mean limited price benchmarks and slower resale exit
- Basic boutique facilities — no tennis court, function rooms, or resort-style amenity suite
- Higher per-unit maintenance fees than larger developments sharing fixed overheads among 500+ owners
- Gross yield 2.63% — below the 3%+ thresholds that pure yield investors typically target
- No walkability score data — practical daily errands likely require a car or bus for non-Heartland-Mall needs
- Goodland Global is a boutique developer — less brand recognition than larger names in secondary resale market
Verdict
The Bently Residences @ Kovan makes a coherent case for a specific buyer: someone who values freehold tenure in a mature, character-rich D19 neighbourhood, is comfortable with boutique-scale facilities, and is not dependent on being within 500 m of an MRT station. The freehold argument against D19’s all-leasehold competition is the clearest single selling point: at S$1,646 PSF, The Bently sits materially below the Chuan Park benchmark (S$2,596 PSF, 99yr) and competitively against Florence Residences (S$1,743 PSF, 99yr) — yet it offers permanent tenure rather than a depreciating 99-year lease.
The investment score of 40 and en-bloc probability of 34 are honest constraints. This is not a high-conviction speculative flip — the thin transaction volume limits liquidity, and the 2.63% gross yield, while reasonable for OCR freehold, does not match the 3%–3.5% yields that more rental-intensive corridors can produce. The profitability score of 69 reflects that most owners have made money, but through steady appreciation rather than dramatic uplift. The investment thesis is preservation of capital through freehold land in a desirable neighbourhood, with rental income covering carrying costs while the land appreciates.
The honest buyer profile is someone purchasing for the medium to long term — five years or more — who values Kovan’s neighbourhood character, can manage the 10-minute MRT walk, and does not need resort facilities. For that buyer, The Bently Residences @ Kovan offers something genuinely scarce in the North-East: a freehold boutique in a fully-formed neighbourhood at a price point that the market’s leasehold alternatives have not yet managed to undercut on a tenure-adjusted basis.