Minister for National Development Desmond Lee said that he was recently asked whether a family can buy a BTO flat from HDB and not live or move into it for 5 years, then sell it on the resale market as “almost brand new”.
He said that it may be a breach of HDB rules and HDB will investigate accordingly.
Desmond Lee’s Facebook post
I was asked whether a family can buy an HDB BTO flat, not live in it or move into it for 5 years, and then sell it as “almost brand new” on the resale market.
The answer is no. A BTO flat must be owner-occupied for the full MOP period. If the owners are unable to fulfil the MOP, then the flat needs to be returned to HDB. HDB will then put up as a balance flat for other home buyers to apply for.
Otherwise, it may be a breach of HDB rules and HDB will investigate accordingly. Suspected misuse of flats can be highlighted to HDB at Toll-Free Hotline: 1800-555-6370.
MOP according to HDB
The MOP is calculated from the date you collect the keys to your flat and excludes any period where you do not occupy the flat, e.g. when the whole flat is rented out or when there has been an infringement of the flat lease.
You can login to My HDBPage with your Singpass and check if you have met the MOP to sell your flat, under My Flat > Purchased Flat > Flat Details and Minimum Occupation Period (MOP).
The MOP duration depends on the purchase mode, flat type, and date of flat application:
| Mode of Purchase | MOP |
|---|---|
| Flat bought from HDB | 5 years Note: MOP for Prime Location Public Housing (PLH) flats is 10 years. |
| Flat bought under the Design, Build and Sell Scheme (DBSS) flats from property developer | 5 years |
| Flat bought under the Selective En bloc Redevelopment Scheme (SERS) | For SERS sites announced before 7 Apr 2022 At designated replacement site(s): Either of the following, whichever is earlier: -7 years from the date of selection of the replacement flat -5 years from the date of collecting the keys With portable rehousing benefits: -5 years from the date of collecting the keys For SERS sites announced on or after 7 Apr 2022 -5 years from the date of collecting the keys |
| Resale flat bought from the open market -With CPF housing grant(s) -Without CPF housing grant(s) | 5 years Note: MOP for PLH flats is 10 years. |
| Flat bought under the Fresh Start Housing Scheme | 20 years |