- The 15-month wait-out period for people who sell their private properties to buy Housing and Development Board (HDB) resale flats will be removed with immediate effect, National Development Minister Chee Hong Tat announced on Tuesday (Jul 28).
- Minister Chee stated that authorities recognised that with the 15-month wait-out period, households with genuine housing needs faced inconveniences and disruption to their plans to switch from private property to resale flats.
- As market conditions have improved, the government assessed that the 15-month wait-out period has met its purpose and will be removed with immediate effect.
- The removal of the wait-out period means private residential property owners and former owners of such properties can buy a non-subsidised HDB resale flat without an HDB housing loan, said the Ministry of National Development (MND).
- Since its introduction in 2022, HDB has processed about 1,800 appeals annually from private property owners to waive the 15-month wait-out period.
- This number has been stable over the last few years, with HDB acceding to about one in four appeals, the ministry said.
- The 15-month wait-out period for private property owners buying HDB resale flats was introduced in 2022 as a temporary measure to moderate demand.
- The measure was introduced to cool the HDB resale market, which was heating up partly due to demand from private property downgraders flush with capital.
- The introduction of the wait-out period was part of a wider package of property cooling measures aimed at moderating demand and ensuring HDB resale flats remained affordable for buyers with greater housing needs.
- Data from HDB published on July 24 shows that resale prices have slipped for two straight quarters, with the resale price index down 0.3 per cent in the second quarter of 2026.
- According to HDB, the resale market has shown signs of stabilisation, following five consecutive quarters of slower or no price growth from the fourth quarter of 2024 to the fourth quarter of 2025.
Singapore's National Development Minister Chee Hong Tat announced the immediate removal of the 15-month wait-out period for private property owners seeking to purchase HDB resale flats. This policy, introduced in 2022 to cool the market, aimed to address the needs of households facing housing challenges.127
Mr. Chee stated, "As market conditions have improved, we have assessed that the 15-month wait-out period has met its purpose and will be removed with immediate effect." The Ministry of National Development (MND) noted that this change allows private residential property owners to buy non-subsidised HDB resale flats without needing an HDB housing loan.3
The wait-out period was initially implemented to moderate demand from private property owners, who were contributing to rising HDB resale prices. Data from HDB shows that resale prices have slipped for two straight quarters, with the resale price index down 0.3 per cent in the second quarter of 2026. This indicates a stabilization in the market after five consecutive quarters of slower or no price growth from late 2024 to late 2025.10
Since the introduction of the wait-out period, HDB has processed around 1,800 appeals annually from private property owners seeking waivers, with about one in four appeals granted. The government recognizes the need for policies to evolve in response to changing societal needs, as highlighted by Mr. Chee during the Singapore Economic Review Conference.56
The removal of this wait-out period is expected to facilitate smoother transitions for private property owners looking to downgrade to HDB flats, ultimately enhancing housing accessibility for those in need.
“The removal aims to alleviate inconveniences for households with genuine housing needs, as the resale market shows signs of stabilisation with a 0.3% price drop in Q2 2026. Since the wait-out period's introduction, HDB processed around 1,800 appeals annually, with about one in four granted.”
AsiaOne
