Time Bar
Existing Owner or Ex-Owner of a Flat
You can apply for a flat if you, your spouse or any of the essential occupiers listed in the application is an existing owner or ex-owner of a:
- flat bought directly from HDB,
- resale flat bought under the CPF Housing Grant Scheme,
- DBSS flat bought from the developer, or
- EC bought from the developer.
This is on condition that a 5-year period (excluding any period of subletting of the whole flat) has lapsed from the *date of taking possession of the existing flat to the date of application for a new flat.
Ex-Owner of an EC
Are you, your spouse or any of the essential occupiers listed in the application an ex-owner of an Executive Condominium bought directly from the developer? If yes, you would need to meet a 5-year period from the date of taking possession of the earlier Executive Condominium.
30-Month Period
In addition, you need to wait out a 30-month period from the effective date of disposal (i.e., date of legal completion of the sale of your Executive Condominium, evidenced by the Notice of Transfer or such other documentary evidence as HDB may require) of the Executive Condominium before you can apply to buy an HDB flat.
Essential Occupier of an Existing HDB Flat
You or any person listed the application must not be currently listed as an essential occupier of:
- An existing HDB flat bought directly from HDB,
- A DBSS flat bought under the CPF Housing Grant Scheme, or,
- A resale flat bought under the CPF Housing Grant Scheme
However, an essential occupier may apply or be included in an application only if he has stayed in the existing flat for 5 years from the *date of taking possession of the existing flat to the date of application for a new flat.
* The date of taking possession refers to:
- The date of key collection, for flats that are bought directly from HDB
- The date of resale completion, for purchase of resale flats from the open market bought with the CPF Housing Grant
- The date of transfer at market value of the flat bought with CPF Housing Grant
- The date of key collection for Executive Condominium/DBSS flats bought from the developer, whichever is applicable.
Cancellation of Application After Booking a Flat
If you book a flat from the March 2012 Build-To-Order and Sale of Balance Flats Exercises onwards and subsequently cancel the flat booking, you will have to meet a 1-year period from the date of cancellation before you can apply or be included as an essential occupier in an application for a:
- new HDB flat
- DBSS flat from developers
- Executive Condominium unit from the developers
- resale flat with CPF Housing Grant
- resale flat that has been announced for SERS
Non-selection of Flat
From the July 2013 Build-To-Order exercise onwards, Second-timer applicants and First-timer singles who do not book a flat twice when invited to do so will have to wait out one year before they can participate in any HDB sales exercises.
Divorcees
Within three years from the date of the divorce, only one party in the divorce can own one of the following housing units:
- a flat bought directly from the HDB
- a DBSS flat / EC bought directly from a private developer
- a resale flat bought from open market under the CPF Housing Grant Scheme
If you have an existing matrimonial home, which is one of the above, and that home is retained by your ex-spouse, you may apply to buy or be listed as an essential occupier in any of the above housing unit only three years after your date of divorce.
However, this three-year wait out period will not apply if you are buying any of the above homes with your parents or a new spouse, or if you are buying a resale flat from the open market without the CPF Housing Grant.
If there is no matrimonial home or the matrimonial home was bought from the open market without any CPF Housing Grant, you may apply for any of the above housing units after you get your ex-spouse's consent not to own or be listed as an essential occupier in any of the above housing units within the three-year period from the date of divorce.
The requirement for ex-spouse's consent is waived if you are buying any of the above housing units with your parents or a new spouse or if you are buying a resale flat from the open market without the CPF Housing Grant.
The requirement to seek ex-spouse's consent during the three-year period from the date of divorce is also waived if you meet the following conditions:
- All your children are below 18 years old at the date of divorce; and
- You have the legal custody of all your children and are also the only parent with the care and control of all your children.
Read about the Assistance Scheme for Second-Timers (Divorced/Widowed Parents) [ASSIST]
