Housing @ eCitizen

HDB flat owners must have physically occupied their flats for a period of time before they are eligible to sell it on the open market. In general, the requisite occupation period (referred to as minimum occupation period - MOP) is 5 years for a flat purchased directly from HDB or a resale flat bought under the CPF Housing Grant Scheme; and 2½ years for a resale flat without a CPF Housing Grant. The period will depend on the mode of purchase, the mode of financing and the flat type.

	1-Room and HUDC Flat
	No occupation period for owners owning 1-room flat or HUDC flat
	2-Room to Executive Flat
	5-year MOP for owners who bought 2-room and larger flats directly from HDB; 2½-year MOP for owners who bought 2-room and larger resale flats from the open market without CPF housing grant
	Resale Flats bought under CPF Housing Grant Scheme
	5 years from effective date of purchase of resale flat
	Flat bought under Selective En-Bloc Redevelopment Scheme (SERS)
	7 years from date of flat selection (provided seller has taken possession of the replacement flat) or 5 years from effective date of possession of replacement flat, whichever is earlier and subject to HDB's prevailing policies. If there is any period of subletting of the entire replacement flat (subject to HDB's prior approval), the MOP will be extended to make up for the subletting period. Flat owners who had enjoyed the SERS benefits more than once are not allowed to sell the replacement flat.

Bank Origination of HDB Loans

Starting from 1 Jan 2003, the following categories of HDB flat owners will only need to complete a 1-year MOP before they can resell their flats on the open market:

	New owners who purchase HDB resale flats without a CPF housing grant and without taking a loan from HDB on or after 1 Jan 2003 (i.e. they may be taking a bank loan or not require any loan at all); and
	Existing owners who had purchased resale HDB flats without a CPF housing grant and who meet any one of the following conditions:
		They have not taken any HDB loans;
		They have fully redeemed their HDB market rate loans; or
		They have refinanced their existing HDB market rate loans with banks. Those who refinance their HDB concessionary rate loans with banks will not qualify.

Note: If flat owners have sublet the whole flat, the period of subletting will not be included in the computation of MOP.

Do I have to fulfill the minimum occupation period of my flat before selling it in the open market?

Yes. One of the eligibility conditions before a flat lessee can sell an HDB flat in the open market is meeting the minimum occupation period. The length of occupation period depends on the mode of purchase and the flat type. In general, it is 5 years for a flat purchased directly from HDB or a resale flat bought under the Housing Grant Scheme; and 2½ years for a resale flat without a Housing Grant . You are advised to ensure that you are eligible to sell the flat in the open market before signing the Option to Purchase and offering the Option to the buyers.

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How do I check to see if I have fulfilled the minimum occupation period of my flat?

Home owners who wish to confirm the requisite occupation period of their flat for purpose of resale in the open market can submit their request to HDB through the HDB InfoWEB at www.hdb.gov.sg. You can click here to access directly to the online request form.

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If I have sublet my whole flat, can I include the period of subletting in the computation of the minimum occupation period of the flat?

If you have sublet your flat, you must exclude this period of subletting in the computation of the minimum occupation period. You have to make up for the subletting period by returning to live in your flat for the equivalent length of time.

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