The 15-month wait-out is gone: what private owners and HDB sellers should do now

What changed on 28 July 2026

HDB announced the change on 28 July 2026, effective immediately, as the Minister for National Development spoke at the Singapore Economic Review Conference. The rule it removed dated from the 30 September 2022 cooling measures. Private owners who sold their home had to wait 15 months before buying a resale flat. The only exemption was for citizens aged 55 and above moving to a 4-room or smaller flat.

HDB gave two reasons. First, resale prices have eased: the Resale Price Index fell 0.1% in the first quarter and 0.3% in the second, after five quarters of slow or no growth. Second, many more flats are reaching the end of their minimum occupation period (MOP): 8,000 in 2025, 13,500 in 2026, 15,000 in 2027 and 19,500 in 2028. The quarter's figures are in HDB resale prices 2Q 2026 by town.

The conditions that still apply

• An HFE letter first. Private owners must get an HDB Flat Eligibility (HFE) letter before buying a resale flat, as every buyer does. The HFE letter guide explains the timing.
• No HDB loan. The flat must be paid for with a bank loan, CPF savings and cash. With an HDB loan, the 30-month wait still applies.
• No grants. This covers only non-subsidised resale flats. With the Enhanced CPF Housing Grant or any other resale grant, the 30-month wait applies.
• Sell within six months. HDB requires all private residential property, in Singapore or overseas, to be sold within six months of completing the resale flat purchase.
• Normal resale rules. Every other resale rule still applies, including the five-year MOP on the flat you buy.

Stamp duty and bank loans during the overlap

The new sequence means owning two homes for a while: the flat you have just bought and the private home you still have to sell. Two costs follow from that.

Additional buyer's stamp duty (ABSD). IRAS's published answer for a Singapore citizen who owns a private home and buys an HDB resale flat is that ABSD remission is given upfront, because HDB requires the private home to be sold within six months. That citizen doesn't pay ABSD on the flat. Buyer's stamp duty still applies as usual; the stamp duty calculator works it out. If you are a permanent resident, or your ownership is unusual, confirm with IRAS before signing.

Bank loan limits. A bank loan for a flat is capped at 75% of its price or valuation, whichever is lower, if you have no other housing loan. If your private home still has a mortgage when you take the new loan, MAS limits drop to 45%. On a $700,000 flat, that is the difference between borrowing $525,000 and $315,000. Most downgraders should therefore sell first, or pay off the private mortgage, before taking the flat's loan. HDB loan vs bank loan and MSR vs TDSR explain the tests the bank will apply. Your CPF usage also depends on the flat's remaining lease; see using CPF to buy an HDB flat.

If you already applied or appealed

• You hold a valid HFE letter and your plans haven't changed: you are not affected.
• Your HFE application was still being processed on 28 July: HDB updates your eligibility automatically. You don't need to do anything.
• You had appealed for a waiver of the 15-month wait: you don't need to wait for HDB's reply. You can apply for an HFE letter directly, and HDB said it would contact appellants.
• You are 55 or older and were exempted to buy a 4-room or smaller flat: if you now want a 5-room or larger flat, you can cancel your HFE letter and apply for a new one. HDB said it would tell affected buyers by email.

What private owners should do now

1. Decide how you will pay first. If you need an HDB loan or a grant, nothing has changed for you: sell, wait 30 months, then buy. The shorter route only works with a bank loan, CPF and cash.
2. Work out your cash position. Add up what your private home will realistically sell for, the mortgage payoff, and the flat's downpayment and fees. The downpayment guide covers the cash-and-CPF split.
3. Choose an order. Selling first gives you the 75% loan limit and no deadline. Buying first gets you the flat you want but starts a six-month clock and may cut your loan to 45%. For most households with a mortgage, selling first, or at least agreeing the sale first, is the safer order.
4. Plan the six months. The clock starts when the flat purchase completes, not when you sign the option. Price the private home to sell within that window.

What HDB sellers should expect

For people selling a flat, the change adds buyers. The biggest effect is on flats that private owners want and that were previously off limits to most of them: 5-room and executive flats, flats in mature towns near family, and newer flats with long leases. Before 28 July, a 60-year-old downsizing from a condo could buy only a 4-room or smaller flat without waiting; now any private owner can buy any size.

These buyers bring more cash and less need for grants or HDB loans. They are more likely to accept a valuation gap and to compare your flat with a small condo. Overpricing still backfires: MOP supply keeps rising, and the index is still slipping. How long it takes to sell an HDB flat and selling an HDB flat after MOP cover the sale itself.

Your next steps

1. Check what your target flats actually sold for on neighbour prices or the town price pages.
2. Get a valuation for the home you are selling, whether it is private or HDB.
3. Run the bank loan limit that will apply to you through the affordability calculator before you commit to an order of sale.

Book a 15-minute call with me to work out the sell-first or buy-first order for your household. If you need two agents for two transactions, the commission guide explains what each fee should cover.

Sources and review date

Reviewed 17 Sep 2026 against HDB's release Removal of the 15-month wait-out period (28 July 2026, published on MND's site and HDB's), the joint MAS–MND–HDB release of 29 September 2022 that introduced the wait, IRAS's answer on ABSD for downgraders, and MAS's loan tenure and loan-to-value limits. The 45% figure assumes a loan tenure of up to 30 years that ends by age 65; longer loans have lower limits.

Frequently asked questions

Has the 15-month wait-out period been removed?

Yes. From 28 July 2026, private property owners and former owners can buy a non-subsidised HDB resale flat of any size without waiting 15 months, provided they do not take an HDB housing loan and sell all private residential property within six months of completing the flat purchase.

Does the 30-month wait-out still apply?

Yes. Private property owners who want a new HDB flat, a resale flat with housing grants, a new executive condominium from a developer, or an HDB housing loan must still wait 30 months after selling their private property.

Do I pay ABSD if I buy an HDB resale flat before selling my condo?

IRAS’s published answer for a Singapore citizen downgrading from private property is that ABSD remission is given upfront, because HDB requires the private property to be sold within six months. Buyer’s stamp duty still applies. Permanent residents and unusual ownership structures should confirm with IRAS.

Can a private property owner take a bank loan for an HDB flat?

Yes, and it is the only loan available under the new route. The bank limit is 75% of the price or valuation with no other outstanding housing loan, but falls to 45% if the private property still has a mortgage, so many owners sell or redeem the mortgage first.