Singapore Properties

Options ForSingapore Permanent Residents

Build To Order (BTO)

Only PRs who have a Singapore Citizen (SC) spouse can purchase BTO flats. In addition, first-timer households consisting of one Singapore Citizen and one or more PRs must pay a $10,000 premium to buy these flats. You can get the money back when you or your spouse gets Singapore citizenship, or you have a child who is a Singapore Citizen, you can apply for a $10,000 Citizen Top-Up Grant.

HDB Resale

Unlike BTO flats, you and your spouse can buy resale flats that have passed the five year Minimum Occupancy Period (MOP). This is even if both of you are PRs (but you cannot buy a resale flat as a single, if you are a PR).

For resale flats however, non-Malaysian PRs must fit into the Singapore Permanent Resident (SPR) quota. Under the quota, a maximum of five percent of the neighborhood’s residents can be non-Malaysian PRs. For each block of flats, the maximum number of PRs is limited to eight per cent of the total residents.

In addition, note that you and your spouse must have had your PR status for at least three years, before you can buy a resale flat. Both of you must meet the three year requirement – so if you have been a PR for seven years, but your spouse has been a PR for one year, you will still need to wait two years to be eligible.

Executive Condominiums (ECs)

ECs are full suite condos built by private developers – inclusive of pools, saunas, BBQ pits, and so forth. ECs only count as HDB properties for 10 years, after which they are treated as fully private properties.

You can purchase an EC if your spouse is a Singapore Citizen. Note that after 10 years, ECs are fully privatised – you can then purchase them as you would any other condo.

Private Property

Private properties can be divided into restricted and non-restricted properties.

PRs are free to purchase any type of non-restricted private property. These include the following:

• A condominium
• Executive Condominiums (ECs) that have been fully privatised
• Strata-titled landed houses, with building plans approved before April 2012

The following properties are restricted. You can buy them with approval from the Ministry of Law (speak a qualified property agent, they can help you with this process):

• Vacant residential land
• Terrace houses
• Semi-detached house
• Bungalow/detached house
• Townhouses or cluster houses
• Shophouses
• Places of Worship
• Workers dormitories, service apartments, and boarding houses that are not registered under the Hotel Act

Additional Buyer’s Stamp Duty (ABSD)

PRs need to pay an ABSD of five per cent of the purchase price of their first house. For the second and subsequent house, the ABSD rises to 15 per cent.

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