Short answer: Since 28 July 2026, private residential property owners and former owners can buy a non-subsidised HDB resale flat straight away, with no 15-month wait, if they take no HDB loan and no CPF housing grant (HDB's eligibility table exempts the Proximity Housing Grant). Anyone still owning private property must sell it within six months of completing the flat purchase.
Updated 27 September 2026. All rules below were checked against HDB, MND, IRAS, MAS and CPF Board pages on that date. This is general information, not financial advice.
What changed, and why now?
With immediate effect from 28 July 2026, private residential property owners (PPOs) and ex-PPOs buying a non-subsidised HDB resale flat without an HDB housing loan no longer serve a 15-month wait-out. National Development Minister Chee Hong Tat announced it that day at the Singapore Economic Review Conference.
The wait-out started on 30 September 2022 as a cooling measure. HDB calls it temporary, meant to prioritise first-time buyers and keep resale flats affordable. PPOs had to sell their private home, then wait 15 months. Singapore Citizens aged 55 and above moving to a 4-room or smaller resale flat were exempt.
HDB's stated reasons for removing it:
- The HDB Resale Price Index fell by 0.1% in Q1 2026 and 0.3% in Q2 2026.
- That followed five straight quarters of slower or no price growth (Q4 2024 to Q4 2025).
- More flats are reaching their Minimum Occupation Period (MOP) and entering the resale market.
| Year | BTO flats reaching MOP (HDB figures) |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 8,000 |
| 2026 | 13,500 |
| 2027 | 15,000 |
| 2028 | 19,500 |
HDB said the market is "showing signs of stabilisation".
Who can buy now, and who still waits 30 months?
HDB's eligibility pages set out the split. The separate 30-month wait-out for subsidised routes and HDB loans is unchanged.
| What you are buying | Wait after selling private property | Can you still own private property when you apply? |
|---|---|---|
| Non-subsidised resale Standard or unclassified flat, with no CPF housing grant and no HDB loan | None | Yes, but you must sell it within 6 months of completing the flat purchase |
| The same flat with only the Proximity Housing Grant (PHG) | None | Yes, with the same 6-month sale rule |
| Resale Standard or unclassified flat with CPF housing grant(s) | 30 months | No |
| Resale Plus or Prime flat | 30 months | No |
| New flat from HDB (for example BTO), with or without grants | 30 months | No |
| Executive Condominium (EC) unit from a property developer | 30 months | No |
| Any flat bought with an HDB housing loan | 30 months | No |
- Unclassified flats were sold before the October 2024 sales exercise and are not classed as Standard, Plus or Prime. Prime includes earlier Prime Location Public Housing (PLH) flats.
- The 30 months run from the legal completion of your private sale to your HDB Flat Eligibility (HFE) letter application. HDB's example: a sale completed on 1 July 2024 allows an application from 1 January 2027. For a new EC, the 30 months run to the EC application.
- The PHG for families (S$30,000 to live with parents or child, S$20,000 to live within 4 km) sits in HDB's no-wait group, but the press release puts "a resale flat with housing grants" under the 30-month rule. Confirm it on your HFE letter.
- Private residential property includes overseas property, EC units, privatised HUDC flats and mixed-use developments with homes.
- Over-55s who got an HFE letter under the old exemption for a 4-room or smaller flat can cancel it and re-apply for a 5-room or larger flat.
Can you buy the HDB flat before selling your private property?
Yes, for a non-subsidised resale flat. Everyone listed in the flat must dispose of any local or overseas private residential property within six months of completing the flat purchase. What counts is the legal completion of the private sale, not your buyer's option exercise. HDB's example: a flat completed on 1 July 2024 means the private sale must complete by 31 December 2024.
Do you pay ABSD on the HDB flat?
Not if any buyer is a Singapore Citizen. IRAS fully remits Additional Buyer's Stamp Duty (ABSD) on an HDB flat in that case, automatically once HDB approves the purchase.
| Buyers of the HDB flat | ABSD on the flat while you still own private property | Must you sell the private property? |
|---|---|---|
| At least one Singapore Citizen | 0% (full remission) | Yes, within 6 months of completing the flat purchase (HDB rule) |
| All buyers are Singapore Permanent Residents | 5% (remission reduces ABSD to 5%) | Yes, within 6 months of completing the flat purchase (HDB rule) |
The 2013 ABSD remission rules for HDB flats contain no condition about selling other property; the six-month deadline is HDB's. The remission does not apply if a buyer holds the flat on trust (documents signed from 9 May 2022). Buyer's Stamp Duty (BSD) is still payable: try our stamp duty calculator. Upgraders buying a second private home face different ABSD rules; see our ABSD guide.
Seller's Stamp Duty (SSD) still applies to the private sale. For homes bought on or after 4 July 2025, it is 16%, 12%, 8% or 4% if sold within one, two, three or four years. For purchases from 11 March 2017 to 3 July 2025, it is 12%, 8% or 4% within three years.
How do you finance the flat without an HDB loan?
With cash, CPF and a bank loan. MAS sets the maximum loan by how many housing loans you have outstanding. An unpaid condo mortgage counts.
| Outstanding housing loans | Maximum loan-to-value (LTV) | Minimum cash down payment |
|---|---|---|
| None | 75% | 5% |
| 1 (for example, your condo mortgage) | 45% | 25% |
| 2 or more | 35% | 25% |
For HDB flats, lower limits (55%, 25% or 15%) apply if the tenure exceeds 25 years or the loan runs past age 65; the maximum tenure is 30 years. See LTV limits explained and our affordability calculator.
For an HDB flat, the Mortgage Servicing Ratio (MSR) caps repayments on all your property loans at 30% of gross monthly income, so an outstanding condo instalment counts. The 55% Total Debt Servicing Ratio (TDSR) also applies. See our TDSR and MSR explainer.
CPF. Buying before selling counts as a second property purchase for CPF. You can use only Ordinary Account (OA) savings above the Basic or Full Retirement Sum set-aside, and CPF tied up in your current home is released only when that sale completes. Below 55, the refund goes mainly to your OA; from 55, it first tops up your Retirement Account to the Full Retirement Sum. CPF use is pro-rated if the lease does not cover the youngest buyer to age 95. See CPF property usage limits.
Worked example: buy first or sell first?
This is our hypothetical, built only from the sourced rules above.
Assumptions: a married couple, both Singapore Citizens under 55, own a condo with a bank loan outstanding. They buy a S$700,000 resale unclassified 5-room flat, valued at the price, with no grants. The flat loan is for 25 years or less and ends before age 65. Legal fees, renovation and moving costs are excluded.
| Buy the flat first (condo loan outstanding) | Sell the condo first (loan repaid) | |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum bank loan | 45% = S$315,000 | 75% = S$525,000 |
| Minimum cash | 25% = S$175,000 | 5% = S$35,000 |
| Rest of down payment (cash or eligible CPF OA) | 30% = S$210,000 | 20% = S$140,000 |
| BSD | S$15,600 | S$15,600 |
| ABSD | S$0 (remitted) | S$0 |
| Paid upfront, excluding the loan | S$400,600 | S$190,600 |
BSD: 1% of the first S$180,000 (S$1,800), plus 2% of the next S$180,000 (S$3,600), plus 3% of the remaining S$340,000 (S$10,200), equals S$15,600.
Buying first needs S$210,000 more upfront, at least S$140,000 of it in cash. The 75% loan applies only if the condo loan is repaid before you take the flat loan, so confirm the LTV with your bank first.
Other rules that still apply
- Household. Families must be Singapore Citizens or PRs with at least one Citizen or PR occupier; in all-PR households, every applicant and core occupier needs at least three years of PR status. Singles must be Citizens aged 35 or above (21 if widowed or orphaned).
- No income ceiling for resale Standard or unclassified flats. Ceilings apply only to CPF housing grants (except the PHG) and HDB loans.
- No resale levy for resale flat buyers, and past housing subsidies do not affect eligibility.
- The flat's own MOP. You must live in the flat for five years before selling it, renting out the whole flat or buying private property again.
- All-PR households must sell the flat within six months of buying private property in Singapore.
FAQ
Is the 15-month wait-out removed for every HDB purchase?
No. Only for non-subsidised resale Standard or unclassified flats bought without an HDB loan. The 30-month wait still covers new HDB flats, resale flats with CPF housing grants, resale Plus and Prime flats, new ECs and HDB loans.
Can I buy an HDB resale flat before selling my condo?
Yes, for a non-subsidised resale flat bought without an HDB loan. The sale of your private property, in Singapore or overseas, must legally complete within six months of completing the flat purchase.
Do Singapore Citizens pay 20% ABSD on the flat if they still own a condo?
No. IRAS fully remits ABSD on HDB flats when any buyer is a Singapore Citizen. All-PR buyers pay 5%.
I sold my condo a year ago. Can I take an HDB loan?
Not yet. An HDB loan needs 30 months between the legal completion of your private sale and your HFE letter application. A bank loan is available now.
I already have an HFE letter or a pending waiver appeal. What should I do?
A valid HFE letter is unaffected if your plans are unchanged, and HFE applications in progress are updated automatically. With a pending waiver appeal, you can apply for an HFE letter directly.
Sources
- HDB, Removal of the 15-month Wait-out Period for Private Residential Property Owners Purchasing Non-Subsidised HDB Resale Flats (28 July 2026)
- MND, Removal of the 15-month Wait-out Period for Private Residential Property Owners Purchasing Non-Subsidised HDB Resale Flats (28 July 2026, issued by HDB)
- HDB, Couples and Families: Flat, Grant, and Loan Eligibility (accessed 27 September 2026)
- HDB, Singles: Flat, Grant, and Loan Eligibility (accessed 27 September 2026)
- HDB, Proximity Housing Grant for Families Buying Resale Flats (last updated 20 August 2026)
- HDB, Conditions After Buying a Resale Flat (last updated 28 July 2026)
- HDB, Eligibility for Buying an Executive Condominium (accessed 27 September 2026)
- IRAS, Acquisition of HDB Flats and new Executive Condominium (EC) Units (accessed 27 September 2026)
- Singapore Statutes Online, Stamp Duties (HDB Flats and Executive Condominium Units) (Remission of ABSD) Rules 2013 (version current at 27 September 2026)
- IRAS, Buyer's Stamp Duty (BSD) (rates from 15 February 2023)
- IRAS, Seller's Stamp Duty (SSD) for Residential Property (accessed 27 September 2026)
- MAS, Loan Tenure and Loan-to-Value Limits (published 5 July 2018, last updated 27 March 2024)
- MAS, Mortgage Servicing Ratio and Total Debt Servicing Ratio Rules (last revised 16 December 2021)
- CPF Board, How much CPF OA savings can you use when buying your next home? (21 August 2026)
- CNA, Removal of 15-month rule unlikely to drive up HDB resale prices: Analysts (28 July 2026)
- AsiaOne, 15-month wait-out period for private homeowners buying HDB resale flats removed: Chee Hong Tat (28 July 2026)
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