Moneylenders Act (Chapter 188): Primary legislation regulating moneylending in Singapore. While mainly applicable to licensed moneylenders, personal loans must be structured to avoid classification as unlicensed moneylending. Personal loans between friends/family typically have exemptions but require proper documentation.
Civil Law Act (Chapter 43): Governs fundamental aspects of civil law including contractual capacity, requirements for written contracts, and provisions regarding interest rates. Essential for ensuring the loan agreement meets basic legal requirements.
Contract Law: Based on Singapore's Common Law system, covering essential elements of valid contract formation including offer, acceptance, consideration, and intention to create legal relations.
Stamps Act (Chapter 312): Specifies requirements for proper stamping of loan documents and applicable stamp duties that must be paid for the loan agreement to be legally enforceable.
Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act: While primarily focused on business-to-consumer transactions, provides important principles of fairness that should be considered in personal loan agreements.
Interest Rate Restrictions: Covers Singapore's regulations on maximum interest rates and usury laws to ensure the loan terms are legally compliant and not exploitative.
Limitation Act (Chapter 163): Establishes time limits for enforcement of contractual rights and statute of limitations for debt collection, crucial for understanding enforcement timeframes.
