HDB Resale Process: Steps, Timeline and Fees When You Sell to Upgrade

For most upgraders, selling the HDB flat is the step that sets the pace. It decides how much cash and CPF you have for the next home, whether you face ABSD, and where you sleep in between. This guide walks through the HDB resale process from the seller’s side, with the time limits HDB publishes, then looks at how to fit the sale around a new launch such as LinkTown Residences (Hougang Central Residences). The condo side is covered in our guide to buying a condo in Singapore.

The HDB resale timeline at a glance

Stage	Time limit or typical time	Who acts
Register Intent to Sell	Valid 12 months	Seller
Cooling-off before granting an OTP	At least 7 days	Seller
Find a buyer and agree a price	Depends on the market	Both
Option period	21 calendar days	Buyer decides
Submit resale application	Within 7 calendar days of each other	Both
HDB acceptance	Within 28 working days of a complete application	HDB
Completion	About 8 weeks after acceptance	HDB, both parties

Add those up and a sale usually takes three to four months once a buyer is found. Sources: HDB pages on Intent to Sell, the Option to Purchase and the resale application.

Step 1: Check you can sell

Your flat must have met its MOP, usually 5 years for Standard and older flats and 10 years for Plus and Prime flats. The sale must also fit the Ethnic Integration Policy and, where relevant, the Singapore PR quota for your block. Our HDB MOP guide explains how the MOP is counted.

Step 2: Register an Intent to Sell

You register personally on My Flat Dashboard with Singpass, even if you use a salesperson. One owner can register for all. There is no fee. HDB then tells you the earliest date you can grant an OTP, lets you download the prescribed OTP form, and shows an estimate of your net proceeds, recent nearby prices and the quota position for your block.

The Intent to Sell lasts 12 months and must still be valid when you grant the OTP and when you submit the application, so don’t register too early if you are waiting for a launch.

Step 3: Agree a price and grant the OTP

After at least 7 days, you can grant an OTP to a buyer on the HDB-prescribed form. Print only one copy, as each has a serial number you will quote later. Side agreements outside the OTP are not valid under the Housing and Development Act.

• Option fee: S$1 to S$1,000, paid when you grant the OTP.
• Exercise fee: paid when the buyer exercises, with option and exercise fees together capped at S$5,000.
• Option period: 21 calendar days, weekends and public holidays included.

While the option runs, you cannot sell to anyone else. Our guide to the Option to Purchase in Singapore compares this with the private-property OTP you will sign for a condo.

What your buyer is doing in parallel

Knowing the buyer’s steps helps you judge whether a sale will go smoothly:

• They need a valid HDB Flat Eligibility (HFE) letter before you can grant them an OTP. It is valid for 9 months.
• If they use CPF or a loan, they submit a Request for Value by the next working day after getting the OTP.
• If they borrow from a bank, they need a Letter of Offer before exercising the OTP.

A buyer who already holds an HFE letter and an In-Principle Approval is less likely to run out of time within the 21 days.

Step 4: Resale application, approval and completion

Once the OTP is exercised, either side submits its part of the resale application first. The other must follow within 7 calendar days, or the application is cancelled with no refund. Both parties then endorse the documents and pay the fees. HDB checks eligibility and aims to confirm acceptance within 28 working days. Completion is about 8 weeks after that acceptance date.

Before the completion appointment you must settle outstanding charges and hand over the flat empty. If you have bought another completed home in Singapore and need time to move, HDB lets you arrange, with the buyer’s consent, to stay on for up to 3 months after completion. It is a negotiation, not a right.

Where the money goes

At completion the sale price is applied in a fixed order:

1. the outstanding HDB or bank loan is paid off
2. the CPF you used for the flat, plus accrued interest, goes back to your CPF Ordinary Account
3. what remains is your cash

The CPF refund can be used again for a private home, within the valuation and withdrawal limits; see using CPF for private property. Only the cash part helps with the minimum 5% cash down payment on a condo. Market conditions matter too: HDB’s resale price index slipped 0.1% in the first quarter of 2026 and 0.3% in the second (HDB, 24 July 2026), so price your flat from recent transactions in your own block, not from last year’s headlines.

Fitting the sale around a new launch

A new launch changes the order of events. Hougang Central Residences is expected to launch in early 2027 (UOL’s August 2026 results guide a 2H 2027 launch) and complete around 2030/2031. Two common patterns:

Sell before you book

You go into launch day with your proceeds in hand and no ABSD, but you need somewhere to live for several years until the condo is ready. The HDB extension of stay does not cover this, because the condo is not completed.

Book first, sell near completion

You stay in your flat while the condo is built, then run the resale process so completion lands around the condo’s TOP. You pay ABSD upfront and apply for an ABSD refund if the flat is sold within the IRAS window (for married couples with at least one Singapore Citizen, generally six months after TOP or CSC, whichever is earlier; verify with IRAS). Work backwards: about 4 months for the resale process, plus time to find a buyer, means listing roughly 9 to 12 months before the expected TOP.

If the timing is tight, a short-term bridging loan can cover the gap between paying for the condo and receiving your sale proceeds. The full comparison, with numbers, is in our HDB upgrader guide. The payment scheme page shows when each condo instalment falls due, and the purchase timeline covers booking day.

Register to get LinkTown Residences launch dates and prices as soon as they’re released, so you can plan when to list your flat.

Frequently asked questions

How long does the HDB resale process take?

From registering the Intent to Sell, allow at least 7 days before you can grant an OTP, up to 21 days for the buyer to exercise it, 7 days to submit the application, up to 28 working days for HDB to accept it, then about 8 weeks to completion. Around three to four months is typical once you have a buyer.

How much is the option fee for an HDB resale flat?

The option fee is between S$1 and S$1,000. The exercise fee is whatever amount keeps the option fee plus exercise fee at no more than S$5,000. Both form part of the resale price.

How long is the HDB Intent to Sell valid?

12 months. It must still be valid when you grant the OTP and when you submit the resale application.

Can I stay in my flat after completion?

HDB allows sellers who have bought another completed property in Singapore to arrange, with the buyer’s agreement, a temporary extension of stay of up to 3 months after completion. It is not automatic, and a condo still under construction does not help you here.