Fresh Start Housing Scheme (Fresh Start)

Fresh Start helps ComLink+ families, meaning those with young children living in public rental flats, to own their next homes. By integrating financial assistance with personal responsibility and social support, the scheme helps families buy a 2-room Flexi or 3-room Standard flat on a shorter lease.

Interested households need to apply for Fresh Start before they can apply for a flat.

Key features

Households under the Fresh Start Housing Scheme will be assisted in the following ways:

Types of flats and lease options
  • 2-room Flexi or 3-room Standard flat on a shorter lease, which will be more affordable than on a 99-year lease
  • Lease options range from 45 years to 65 years, and must cover owners and their spouses till they are 95 years old
Minimum Occupation period 20 years.
HDB concessionary housing loan Available subject to credit assessment.
Cap on resale levy Capped at $30,000 and reduced based on the lease of the flat bought under Fresh Start.
Grant amount and disbursement

First-timers will receive the Enhanced CPF Housing Grant (EHG) of up to $120,000.

Second-timers will receive the Fresh Start Housing Grant (FSHG), comprising an upfront grant disbursed shortly before key collection, and a deferred grant disbursed over 5 years after key collection.

The grant amount depends on application timing as follows:

 

Fresh Start Housing Grant

(only for Second-Timers)

 Applications made before Jul 2025 sales exercise  Applications made from Jul 2025 sales exercise  
Upfront disbursement before key collection $35,000 $60,000
Disbursement after key collection over 5 years Up to $15,000
Total grant amount $50,000 $75,000
Priority allocation Up to 10% of 2-room Flexi flats and 3-room BTO/ SBF flats under the Tenants’ Priority Scheme (TPS).

Eligibility conditions

You and all listed applicants and occupiers must meet the eligibility conditions.

To qualify for Fresh Start, your family must meet the following conditions:

  1. You and your spouse (if applicable) must be aged 35 to below 55
  2. You or your spouse, and at least 1 of your children (aged below 21) must be Singapore Citizens
  3. You or your spouse (if applicable) has been in stable employment for the last 12 months
  4. Your average gross monthly household income must not exceed $7,000
  5. Your household members do not own other properties overseas or locally, and have not disposed of any in the last 30 months
  6. Your household has not previously received any subsidy under the Relocation, Sale of Flat to Sitting Tenants, or Rent & Purchase Schemes
  7. Your household has occupied a public rental flat for at least 1 year, with less than 3 months of rental arrears in the last 12 months
  8. Qualify for the Letter of Social Assessment (LSA) from HDB based on stability of family, employment, finances, and school attendance of the children. The LSA is subject to yearly renewal, until 5 years after key collection 

Other things to note

  1. You must apply for a flat within the first year of your LSA to remain on Fresh Start 
  2. You must get your LSA renewed yearly to collect the keys to your flat booked under Fresh Start. Otherwise, you may have to forfeit 5% of the flat price
  3. The maximum HDB loan you can take is 75% of the flat price, based on prevailing Loan-to-Value limits
  4. At least 10% of the flat price must be paid using your CPF Ordinary Account (OA) savings and/or cash. First-timers may use the Enhanced Housing Grant (EHG) for this
  5. The remaining flat price can be paid using your CPF OA savings and/or cash. Second-timers may use the upfront Fresh Start Housing Grant for this
  6. Second-timers will receive the deferred Fresh Start Housing Grant over 5 years after key collection. The yearly disbursement is subject to the renewal of your LSA
  7. Your family may need to attend face-to-face interviews to renew your LSA

How to apply

If you meet the eligibility conditions, you may apply for the Fresh Start Housing Scheme online.

Examples

Example 1: Short-lease 2-room Flexi flat for second-timers

 

Mr and Mrs X (both aged 45) are second-timers living with their child (aged below 21) in a public rental flat. Mr X is the sole breadwinner, earning $1,600.

 

Without Fresh Start  Under Fresh Start
Flat type 2-room Flexi flat with 99-year lease 2-room Flexi flat with 50-year lease
Selling price $162,000 $126,000
Resale Levy  $40,000 $24,000

What they pay

(selling price plus resale levy)

 $202,000 $150,000
Eligible Grant  Step-Up Housing Grant of $15,000  Fresh Start Housing Grant of $75,000

Balance payable

(with cash/ CPF OA savings and housing loan)

 $187,000
 $90,000 excluding $15,000 deferred Fresh Start Housing Grant

Assumed cash and CPF Ordinary Account savings

 $40,000 $40,000
Housing loan needed $147,000 $50,000

 Monthly mortgage instalment needed

(over loan tenure of 20 years)

  Family cannot obtain loan as the servicing ratio is too high  $268 fully covered by CPF contributions with no cash outlay

 

Example 2: Short-lease 3-room flat for second-timers

Mr and Mrs Y (both aged 45) are second-timers living with their child (aged below 21) in a public rental flat. Mr Y is the sole breadwinner, earning $3,000.

Without Fresh Start
 Under Fresh Start
Flat type 3-room flat with 99-year lease 3-room flat with 50-year lease
Selling price $270,000 $210,000
Resale Levy  $40,000 $24,000

What they pay

(selling price plus resale levy)

 $310,000 $234,000
Eligible Grant  Step-Up Housing Grant of $15,000 
 Fresh Start Housing Grant of $75,000

Balance payable

(with cash/ CPF OA savings and housing loan)

 $295,000 $174,000 excluding $15,000 deferred Fresh Start Housing Grant

Assumed cash and CPF Ordinary Account savings

 $40,000 $40,000
Housing loan needed $255,000 $134,000

Monthly mortgage instalment needed

(over loan tenure of 20 years)

  Family cannot obtain loan as the servicing ratio is too high  $717 comprising $630 CPF contributions and $87 in cash 

 

Example 3: Short-lease 3-room flat for first-timers

Mr and Mrs Z (both aged 45) are first-timers living with their child (aged below 21) in a public rental flat. Mr Z is the sole breadwinner, earning $2,000.

 

Without Fresh Start
 Under Fresh Start
Flat type 3-room flat with 99-year lease 3-room flat with 50-year lease
Selling price $270,000 $210,000
Eligible Grant Enhanced CPF Housing Grant of $110,000
 Enhanced CPF Housing Grant of $110,000

Balance payable

(with cash/ CPF OA savings and housing loan)

 $160,000 $100,000

Assumed cash and CPF Ordinary Account savings

 $30,000 $30,000
Housing loan needed $130,000 $70,000 

Monthly mortgage instalment needed

(over loan tenure of 20 years)

 Family cannot obtain loan as the servicing ratio is too high $375 fully covered by CPF contributions with no cash outlay