Freedom Age / Guides

Guides: property, CPF and your retirement income

Plain-English guides to the Singapore rules that decide when your home can start paying you: the HDB wait-out, the minimum occupation period, the Silver Housing Bonus, the Lease Buyback Scheme and the moves between them. Each one states the rule with its source and a worked example.

• The 15-month wait-out is gone. What it means if you are selling private to buy an HDB resale flat

  From 28 July 2026, private property owners can buy a non-subsidised HDB resale flat without the 15-month wait, if they do not take an HDB loan. What still applies: six months to sell, and 30 months for BTO, grants, ECs and HDB loans.

• Selling a condo to buy an HDB flat: the rules, the order and the money

  Right-sizing from private property to an HDB resale flat: no wait-out without an HDB loan, six months to sell, CPF refunds, and what the move frees up for retirement income.

• The Silver Housing Bonus: up to $40,000 for right-sizing, explained

  The enhanced Silver Housing Bonus since 1 December 2025: who qualifies, the $60,000 CPF commitment, how the bonus is pro-rated, the private property annual value limits, and the 12-month window.

• The Lease Buyback Scheme: sell part of your lease, keep living in your flat

  How the HDB Lease Buyback Scheme works from 1 January 2026: the Retirement Account top-up by age, the bonus of up to $30,000, how much lease you keep, the $100,000 cash cap and CPF LIFE.

• The MOP: when your HDB flat can start working for you

  The minimum occupation period decides when an HDB flat can start working for you: five years for Standard flats, ten for Plus and Prime. What you can do after it, and what it costs to keep the flat and add a condo.

• Four ways your home can pay you in retirement

  Right-size, rent out, sell part of the lease, or keep and add a rental: the four ways a Singapore home turns into a monthly retirement income, with the HDB and CPF rules for each.