One of the most important things you have to know as a homeowner is the MOP HDB, or the Minimum Occupation Period, set by HDB as it determines when you can sell your HDB resale flat. Remember: If you’re looking to buy low for your next home, you need to sell at the right time.
Contents
- What is the Minimum Occupation Period (MOP)?
- How will my HDB MOP affect me if I want to sell my HDB resale flat?
- Do all HDB resale flats have the same MOP?
- What if you purchased a resale flat from the open market without CPF Housing Grant?
- Will your HDB resale flat reach MOP in 2024 or 2025?
- Ohmyhome Super Agents are ready to assist you in selling your HDB resale flat
- If your HDB resale flat has already reached MOP and you're only waiting for the right price, you can check out Homer AI
What is the Minimum Occupation Period (MOP)?
Set up in 1971 to curtail the quick turnover of HDB flats for those who were looking to make an easy profit, the MOP is how much time you’re required to physically occupy your HDB flat before you’re allowed to sell it.
The MOP for most flats is 5 years. However, in October 2021, HDB introduced a new Prime Location Public Housing scheme (PLH) with an unprecedented MOP of 10 years, double the duration of regular Build-to-Order (BTO) flats. Currently, they’ve estimated there will be only one PLH project each year, so the majority of new BTO flats will still adhere to the regular 5-year MOP.
How will my HDB MOP affect me if I want to sell my HDB resale flat?
The MOP is calculated from the date you collect the keys to your flat. It requires you to physically occupy your flat before you can:
- Sell the flat in the open market
- Rent out the whole flat*
- Invest in private property, both local and overseas
The keyword here is to “physically occupy”, which means that if you live overseas for 6 months and aren’t occupying the flat, that period doesn’t count towards your MOP.
*In the unique case of HDB PLH flats, homeowners can rent out only a portion of their HDB resale flat, even after the 10-year MOP is up.
Do all HDB resale flats have the same MOP?
No, as it depends on the purchase mode, flat type, and date of flat application.
Here’s your MOP HDB guide:
| Purchase Mode | MOP |
|---|---|
| 1. Flat Purchased from HDB under Prime Location Public Housing (PLH) scheme | 10 years |
| 2. Flat Purchased from HDB under Build-to-Order (BTO), or Executive Condominium (EC) schemes | 5 years |
| 3. Design, Build and Sell Scheme (DBSS) flat purchased from a developer | 5 years |
| 4. Flat purchased under the Selective En bloc Redevelopment Scheme (SERS) with Portable SERS Rehousing Benefits | 5 years |
| 5. Resale flat Purchased from the open market with CPF Housing Grant | 5 years |
| 6. Flat purchased under SERS | Either 7 years from the date of flat selection OR 5 years from the date of occupation |
What if you purchased a resale flat from the open market without CPF Housing Grant?
| Type of Property and Purchase Mode | MOP |
|---|---|
| 1-room flat | No MOP |
| 2-room flat or bigger which application date is on or after 30 August 2010 | 5 years |
| 2-room flat or bigger which application date between 5 March to 29 August 2010 | 3 years |
| 2-room flat or bigger before 5 March 2010 with an HDB loan | 2.5 years |
| 2-room flat or bigger before 5 March 2010 without an HDB loan | 1 year |
The MOP is only one of the eligibility conditions you must fulfill before you can sell your flat together; there’s also the Ethnic Integration Policy (EIP) and Singapore Permanent Resident (SPR) quota for your block/ neighbourhood you need to know about. There may also be additional requirements you need to meet in the event of bankruptcy or divorce.
Will your HDB resale flat reach MOP in 2024 or 2025?
If you currently live in a HDB resale flat in any of these BTO projects, or know someone who does, NOW is the best time to consider selling:
- St George’s Towers
- West Edge @ Bukit Batok
- Tampines GreenRidges
Flats in these projects will be approaching the completion of its 5-year MOP in the first quarter of 2024, so it’s your golden opportunity to consider all your options — be it to sell, rent it out, or hold on.
Ohmyhome Super Agents are ready to assist you in selling your HDB resale flat
About 1-2 months prior to reaching your MOP date, we can start the process of listing your home on all major property platforms, so we can immediately filter the serious buyers from those who are just shopping around.
Sell your HDB resale flat at your dream price in no time, hassle-free with Ohmyhome. Starting at 1% + GST of selling price. Drop us a message on WhatsApp or on our Live Chat at the bottom, right-hand corner of the screen to speak with any of our property agents.
Our Super Agents are CEA-certified and among the Top 1% in Singapore. With more than 8,000 happy customers served, we’ve garnered 4-star ratings on both Facebook and Google!
If your HDB resale flat has already reached MOP and you’re only waiting for the right price, you can check out Homer AI
Homer AI is our home ownership management & e-Valuation tool that will provide an accurate estimation of your home valuation that’s updated every month, so you can track if it increased, stayed the same, or decreased.
Homer AI can also help you:
- Estimate how high you can sell your home. With an accurate home valuation, you’ll know the exact market rate for your home and negotiate with confidence.
- Financially plan for your next dream home. How much do you actually get to keep? Do you have enough for your next home? Relax, leave the calculations to Homer AI.
- Stay updated on the property market. No more waking up to thousands of news articles about new cooling measures. Get it straight from one source.
While the Information is considered to be true and correct at the date of publication, changes in circumstances after the time of publication may impact on the accuracy of the Information. The Information may change without notice and Ohmyhome is not in any way liable for the accuracy of any information printed and stored or in any way interpreted and used by a user.
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