HDB Resale Process 2026: Selling Your Flat Step by Step

Entrance of HDB Hub in Toa Payoh — HDB Hub in Toa Payoh, where resale appointments take place. Photo: LN9267, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

At a glance

When you can sell: After the 5-year MOP (10 years for Plus and Prime flats)
Intent to Sell: Free, valid 12 months, OTP from 7 days after registering
Option fee: $1 to $1,000; option fee plus exercise fee capped at $5,000
Option period: 21 calendar days, expiring 4pm on the last day
Completion: About 8 weeks after HDB accepts the resale application

The short answer

Selling an HDB flat follows a fixed sequence set by HDB: check your MOP, register an Intent to Sell, find a buyer, grant an Option to Purchase (OTP), let the buyer request a valuation and exercise the option, then file the resale application together. HDB takes over from there, and completion lands about 8 weeks after it accepts the application. All figures on this page were checked against HDB, CPF Board and LifeSG pages on 12 October 2026.

Step	Who does it	Typical time
1. Confirm MOP is met	Seller	Check once on My HDBPage
2. Register Intent to Sell	Seller	Instant; OTP allowed from day 7
3. Market the flat, agree a price	Seller and buyer	Depends on the market
4. Grant the OTP	Seller	Option period of 21 calendar days
5. Request for Value	Buyer	Filed by next working day; result in about 10 working days
6. Buyer exercises the OTP	Buyer	Within the 21 days
7. Submit resale application	Both	Second party within 7 calendar days of the first
8. HDB accepts	HDB	Within 28 working days of a complete application
9. Endorse documents, pay fees	Both	Documents ready about 3 weeks after acceptance
10. HDB approval	HDB	About 2 weeks after endorsement and payment
11. Completion	Both, at HDB	About 8 weeks after acceptance

Can you sell yet? The MOP check

You can sell once your flat has met its Minimum Occupation Period, which is 5 years for a standard flat. Plus and Prime flats carry a 10-year MOP. You can see your exact MOP date on My HDBPage after logging in with Singpass.

Settle anything that affects ownership before you start. HDB tells sellers to sort out divorce or estate matters first, because the details you register can’t be edited later.

If you are upgrading, remember you can own only one HDB flat at a time. Plan where you’ll live between completion and your next home, and whether you’ll need a bank loan or an HDB loan for it.

Step 1: register an Intent to Sell

The Intent to Sell is a free online registration on My Flat Dashboard that confirms you are eligible to sell. You must register yourself even if you use an agent, though one owner can register on behalf of all owners.

It stays valid for 12 months and must still be valid both when you grant the OTP and when you submit the resale application. You can grant an OTP only from 7 days after registering.

The registration also gives you useful numbers: an estimate of your net sale proceeds, the Ethnic Integration Policy and SPR quota for your block (which limits who can buy from you), any upgrading charges, whether a resale levy applies to your next subsidised flat, and recent transacted prices nearby. Check the quota early. A full quota can rule out a whole group of buyers.

Step 2: price, list and check the buyer

Most sellers price off recent transactions in the same block and street, which HDB shows on the HDB Flat Portal and in your Intent to Sell. In the third quarter of 2026, HDB’s flash estimate showed resale prices down 0.2% quarter on quarter, the third small fall in a row, with 7,528 resale deals in the quarter. Prices are roughly flat, so asking well above recent deals in your block usually means a longer wait.

Before you grant the OTP, ask to see the buyer’s HDB Flat Eligibility letter. HDB requires buyers who use CPF, grants or a loan to hold a valid one when they get the OTP. Our HFE letter guide explains what it covers and why some buyers are turned down.

Step 3: the Option to Purchase

The OTP is HDB’s prescribed form, downloaded from your Intent to Sell. All sellers sign it before handing it over. The rules that matter:

OTP term	Rule
Option fee	$1 to $1,000, cannot be $0
Option exercise fee	Agreed between you, cannot be $0
Deposit (option plus exercise fee)	Maximum $5,000
Option period	21 calendar days including weekends, ends 4pm on the last day
If the buyer walks away	The OTP lapses and the buyer loses only the option fee

The cash deposit is small by design. Most of the price is paid at completion from the buyer’s CPF, loan and cash.

Step 4: Request for Value and exercise

The buyer, not you, files the Request for Value with HDB by the next working day after the OTP is granted, and pays $120. If HDB needs to inspect, the valuer will contact you, and the seminar notes HDB gives sellers ask you to allow the inspection within 3 working days. The result usually comes within 10 working days.

The valuation caps how much CPF and loan the buyer can use. If it comes in below your price, the buyer has to cover the gap in cash, renegotiate or let the option lapse. Our page on HDB valuation and COV covers what to do if that happens.

Once the buyer is happy with the value and financing, they exercise the OTP by paying the exercise fee and returning the signed form within the 21 days.

Step 5: the resale application

After the OTP is exercised, you and the buyer each submit your portion of the resale application on the HDB Flat Portal. Either side can go first, but the other must follow within 7 calendar days, and both portions must be in while the valuation result is valid (3 months). If you need to stay on after completion, the temporary extension of stay has to be declared here.

HDB checks both sides and notifies you when the application is accepted, which its buyer guide puts at within 28 working days of a complete application. After acceptance, HDB may inspect for unauthorised renovation, which you must fix before completion.

Step 6: documents, fees and approval

The resale documents are ready about 3 weeks after acceptance. Every seller endorses them individually on My Flat Dashboard and pays the fees. Missing the deadline can get the application cancelled. HDB grants approval about 2 weeks after both sides have endorsed and paid.

If HDB acts as your solicitor, these are the seller fees HDB lists:

Fee	Amount (incl. GST)
Transfer legal fee	6.75 cents per $100 on the first $30,000, 5.40 cents on the next $30,000, 4.50 cents on the rest; minimum $21.80
Mortgage discharge (HDB loan only)	$23.95 (1-room) to $59.95 (4-room), $71.90 (5-room), $83.90 (Executive)
Title search	$32
Registration of total discharge (lease-issued cases)	$38.30
Miscellaneous	$5.45

On a $650,000 sale, the transfer legal fee works out to about $302. If you use a private solicitor instead, the HDB transfer legal fee does not apply and you pay the lawyer’s own fee. You also need to pay property tax to the end of the year and service and conservancy charges up to the completion date. Agent commission is negotiable and is not set by HDB.

Step 7: completion and your sale proceeds

Completion is about 8 weeks from HDB’s acceptance of the application. You’ll get an SMS with the appointment, hand over the keys, and settle the apportioned property tax with the buyer.

Your sale price pays off any outstanding housing loan first. The rest goes to refund the CPF you used, plus the accrued interest, back into your CPF account. Only what is left comes to you in cash. If the proceeds after the loan don’t cover the full CPF refund, CPF Board says you don’t need to top up the shortfall in cash, as long as the flat was sold at market value.

For upgraders, that order matters. Your CPF refund goes back to your Ordinary Account and can be used for the next home, but your cash in hand may be smaller than the headline price suggests. Run the numbers before you commit to the next purchase.

Timeline for upgraders

If you sell and buy at the same time, line up the dates before you grant the OTP:

Get a bank’s in-principle approval, or your own HFE letter if you’re buying another HDB flat, before you list.
Register the Intent to Sell at least a week before you want to accept offers.
Agree completion dates on both deals so you are not homeless or holding two loans.
If you’re buying private property before your flat sells, check whether you’ll pay ABSD and can claim a refund. Our decoupling guide explains the options and limits.

This page is general information from official sources, checked on 12 October 2026. HDB is the authority on your own case, and its rules can change.

Common questions

How long does the HDB resale process take?

Count on three to four months if you find a buyer quickly. There is a 7-day wait after the Intent to Sell, a 21-day option period, up to 28 working days for HDB to accept the application, and about 8 weeks from acceptance to completion.

Can I sell my HDB flat before the MOP ends?

No. A standard flat must meet its 5-year Minimum Occupation Period before it can be sold on the open market. Plus and Prime flats have a 10-year MOP. You can check your MOP date on My HDBPage with Singpass.

Does the buyer need an HFE letter before I grant the OTP?

Yes, if the buyer is buying with CPF, a grant or a housing loan. HDB says buyers need a valid HDB Flat Eligibility letter when they obtain the OTP and again when they submit the resale application.

What fees does a seller pay HDB?

If HDB acts as your solicitor, you pay a transfer legal fee on a sliding scale (6.75 cents per $100 on the first $30,000, falling after that), a mortgage discharge fee from $23.95 to $83.90 by flat type, a $32 title search and a $5.45 miscellaneous fee. Agent commission, if any, is separate.

Can the buyer and I submit the resale application at different times?

Yes. Either side can submit first, but the other side has to follow within 7 calendar days, and both portions must go in while the Request for Value result is still valid (3 months).

Can I stay in the flat after completion?

You can ask for a temporary extension of stay, but it must be agreed with the buyer and stated in the resale application. Otherwise you must vacate and hand over the keys at the completion appointment.

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Sources

Facts on this page were checked against these sources on 12 October 2026.