15-Month HDB Wait-Out Period Removed: What the Change Means for Divorcing Couples in Singapore

By Noelle Teoh

On 27 July 2026, the Ministry of National Development and the Housing & Development Board announced the removal of the 15-month wait-out period for private residential property owners and former owners seeking to purchase non-subsidised HDB resale flats.

They are therefore no longer required to wait 15 months before purchasing such a flat.

This change may be particularly relevant to divorcing couples. The matrimonial home is often the most substantial asset in divorce proceedings, and the parties’ ability to secure suitable alternative accommodation following its sale may have a significant bearing on settlement discussions.

The removal of the wait-out period potentially affords divorcing and recently divorced private-property owners greater flexibility in planning their post-divorce housing arrangements and transitioning to an HDB resale flat.

What Was the 15-Month HDB Wait-Out Period?

The 15-month wait-out period was introduced in September 2022 as a temporary cooling measure to moderate demand in the HDB resale market.

Under the rule, private residential property owners and former owners generally had to dispose of their private residential property and wait 15 months before they could purchase a non-subsidised HDB resale flat.

An exception applied to Singapore citizens aged 55 and above, together with their spouses, who intended to purchase a 4-room or smaller non-subsidised resale flat without an HDB housing loan.

For divorcing couples who owned private property, the rule could create a practical housing difficulty. Even after the matrimonial property was sold, the spouses who needs to purchase another HDB property will have to figure out temporary accommodation while waiting to become eligible to purchase. This created practical difficulties, especially where there are children involved.

What Has Changed?

The Government has removed the 15-month wait-out period for eligible private residential property owners and former owners seeking to purchase a non-subsidised HDB resale flat.

A purchaser may therefore apply to buy an eligible non-subsidised resale flat without first waiting 15 months after disposing of the private property. A person who still owns private residential property may also be able to complete the HDB resale purchase first, but must dispose of all interests in the private residential property within six months of completing the flat purchase.

The purchaser must still obtain a valid HDB Flat Eligibility Letter and satisfy the applicable citizenship, family-nucleus, age, financing and other eligibility requirements.

Why Does This Matter in a Divorce?

Housing and financial arrangements are often closely connected in divorce proceedings.

The parties may need to decide whether:

• one spouse will retain the matrimonial home;
• the property will be sold;
• where they will stay and/or where the children will stay;
• one spouse will purchase the other spouse’s interest;
• each spouse will purchase separate accommodation; or
• the sale proceeds will be divided as part of the overall division of matrimonial assets.

Where the matrimonial home is private property, the former 15-month rule could restrict the immediate housing options available to a spouse following its sale.

Its removal may make it easier for a spouse to move directly into an eligible HDB resale flat, reducing the need for temporary rental accommodation and giving the parties greater flexibility when discussing the timing of the sale and division of the proceeds.

A Practical Example

Consider a divorcing couple who jointly own a condominium as their matrimonial home. As part of their settlement, they agree to sell the property and divide the net sale proceeds after deducting the outstanding mortgage, CPF refunds and sale-related expenses. One spouse intends to purchase another private property, while the other prefers to purchase an HDB resale flat.

Under the previous rules, the spouse moving into the HDB resale market might have had to wait 15 months after disposing of his or her interest in the condominium before purchasing a non-subsidised resale flat. During that period, temporary accommodation might have been required, resulting in additional cost and uncertainty.

Following the removal of the wait-out period, that spouse may be able to purchase an eligible non-subsidised HDB resale flat much sooner, provided the remaining HDB eligibility and financing requirements are satisfied.

This additional flexibility may affect when the condominium should be sold, whether temporary accommodation is necessary and how much of the sale proceeds each spouse will require for replacement housing. Where children are involved, it may also assist the parties in planning for stable accommodation near their school or existing support network.

Does This Mean There Is No Waiting Period at All?

No.

The removal applies specifically to the 15-month wait-out period for private residential property owners and former owners purchasing non-subsidised HDB resale flats.

The existing 30-month private-property wait-out requirements remain relevant where a purchaser intends to:

• buy a new flat from HDB;
• buy a resale flat with CPF housing grants;
• buy a resale Plus or Prime flat where the applicable subsidised-housing eligibility rules apply;
• purchase an Executive Condominium unit from a developer; or
• obtain an HDB housing loan.

Accordingly, a private-property owner who requires an HDB housing loan or CPF housing grants may still have to wait 30 months after disposing of the private property.

The policy change should therefore not be understood as allowing every private-property owner to purchase every type of HDB flat immediately.

What About the HDB Income Ceiling?

There is generally no household income ceiling for purchasing an ordinary non-subsidised resale unclassified or Standard HDB flat.

However, income ceilings may continue to apply to:

• CPF housing grants;
• HDB housing loans;
• new flats purchased directly from HDB;
• resale Plus flats; and
• other subsidised housing schemes.

For example, HDB’s current eligibility criteria state that there is no income ceiling for an unclassified or Standard resale flat, although separate income ceilings apply for grants and HDB housing loans.

Higher-income divorcing spouses should therefore not assume that their income automatically prevents them from purchasing an HDB resale flat. The relevant question is what type of flat they intend to purchase, whether they require grants or an HDB housing loan and which eligibility scheme applies.

Selling One HDB Flat and Buying Another Is Different

The removal of the 15-month rule concerns a move from private residential property into the HDB resale market. It should not be confused with the position where the parties already own an HDB flat.

The following situations are different:

Existing HDB flat → sale of existing flat → purchase of another resale HDB flat

and

Private condominium → sale of condominium → purchase of a resale HDB flat

An existing HDB owner must generally have fulfilled the applicable Minimum Occupation Period before selling the flat. The owner must also satisfy the eligibility requirements for the intended replacement flat and comply with the rules concerning the disposal of the existing property.

In either situation, the proposed purchaser should obtain an HFE Letter before committing to the replacement purchase.

Why Housing Eligibility Should Be Checked Before Agreeing to Divorce Terms

A common practical difficulty in divorce negotiations is that parties sometimes agree on the division or sale of the matrimonial home before establishing whether their proposed housing arrangements are workable.

For example, the parties may broadly agree that:

“The property will be sold, the proceeds will be divided, and each party will purchase another home.”

That agreement does not address several important questions:

• Is each spouse eligible to purchase the type of property contemplated?
• How much cash will each spouse receive after the mortgage and sale expenses are paid?
• How much must be refunded to each spouse’s CPF account?
• Will each spouse qualify for the required housing loan?
• Is an HDB resale purchase available under the relevant eligibility scheme?
• Will either spouse require temporary accommodation?
• Is each spouse’s allocated share sufficient to secure suitable replacement housing?

These questions may materially affect whether a proposed settlement can be implemented in practice.

The removal of the 15-month wait-out period removes one possible obstacle, but it does not eliminate the need to examine the parties’ full financial and housing positions before agreeing on what should happen to the matrimonial home.

Could the Change Affect Divorce Negotiations?

Potentially, yes.

The removal of the wait-out period may give divorcing couples additional options when considering what should happen to a private matrimonial property.

For example, knowing that one spouse may be able to purchase an eligible HDB resale flat sooner could affect negotiations concerning:

• the timing of the property’s sale;
• the division of the net sale proceeds;
• the need for temporary accommodation;
• the housing needs of the children;
• the use and refund of CPF monies;
• the affordability of each party’s replacement housing; and
• whether a proposed settlement is practically achievable.

The policy change does not determine how the matrimonial assets should be divided. Rather, it changes one of the practical housing constraints that may be relevant when the parties or the Court consider the parties’ future housing needs.

Planning Beyond the Sale of the Matrimonial Home

The treatment of the matrimonial home should not be considered in isolation.

For many divorcing couples, the more useful question is not simply:

“Who gets the house?”

It is: “What will each party realistically be able to do after the house is sold or transferred?”

The parties may need to consider:

• the market value of the matrimonial property;
• the outstanding mortgage;
• the costs of sale;
• CPF principal and accrued interest to be refunded;
• the cash proceeds remaining after completion;
• each party’s borrowing capacity;
• the availability of CPF housing grants or an HDB housing loan;
• the need to provide a suitable home for the children; and
• each party’s longer-term financial position.

A settlement that appears fair on paper may not be workable if one party is left without sufficient funds or eligibility to secure appropriate accommodation.

What Should Divorcing Couples Do?

Before agreeing on the sale, retention or transfer of a matrimonial property, it may be helpful to establish:

• the property’s approximate market value;
• the outstanding mortgage liabilities;
• the estimated costs of sale;
• the CPF monies used by each party;
• the likely CPF refunds upon sale;
• the estimated net cash proceeds;
• each spouse’s proposed housing arrangements;
• each spouse’s HDB eligibility, where relevant;
• the available financing for replacement housing; and
• how the proposed housing arrangements fit within the overall division of the matrimonial assets.

A person intending to purchase an HDB flat must obtain an HFE Letter. The HFE Letter provides an assessment of the person’s eligibility to purchase a new or resale flat, receive CPF housing grants and obtain an HDB housing loan. For a resale purchase, it should be obtained before the purchaser obtains an Option to Purchase from the seller.

Where an intended HDB purchase is central to a proposed divorce settlement, eligibility should ideally be established before the settlement is finalised rather than after binding terms have been agreed.

What This Means for Divorcing Couples

The removal of the 15-month HDB wait-out period gives some private residential property owners and former owners greater flexibility to move into the HDB resale market.

For divorcing couples, this may be significant because housing arrangements, CPF refunds, financing and the division of matrimonial assets are often interconnected. The change may reduce the need for an extended period of temporary accommodation and allow the parties to plan their post-divorce housing arrangements with greater certainty.

However, the change does not remove all HDB eligibility, financing or property-ownership requirements. In particular, the 30-month requirements may continue to apply where an HDB housing loan, CPF housing grants or subsidised housing are involved.

Before agreeing to sell, transfer or divide a matrimonial property, each party should understand not only what they will receive under the settlement, but also whether their proposed housing arrangement is eligible, affordable and practically achievable.

Need Advice About Property and Housing in a Divorce?

If your divorce involves an HDB flat, private property, CPF monies or questions about how the matrimonial home should be dealt with, obtaining advice before finalising settlement terms can help you understand the available options and their consequences.

A Strategic Divorce Consultation with one of our family lawyers can address your particular circumstances, including matrimonial assets, housing arrangements and the financial implications of proposed settlement terms.

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