With the 15-month wait-out period gone, interest in million-dollar HDB flats surged

📌 Quick Answer 

From 28 July 2026, people who currently own or previously owned a private residential property no longer have to wait 15 months to buy a non-subsidised HDB resale flat, provided they are not taking an HDB housing loan. PropertyGuru’s internal data shows a sharper increase in enquiries at the upper end of the resale market: enquiries for HDB flats priced at $1 million and above rose 154% in the first full week after the change, compared with roughly 8% for flats in the $200,000 price segment. These are enquiries rather than completed transactions, so they provide an early indication of where buyer interest may have been strongest.

If you have been thinking about moving from a private property to an HDB resale flat, the timing of that move just became much easier. The change took effect on 28 July 2026, removing the wait-out period that had applied to most private residential property owners buying a non-subsidised HDB resale flat. The measure had been introduced in September 2022 to moderate resale demand and prioritise access for buyers with more urgent housing needs.

The rule had created a barrier for homeowners looking to right-size from private to HDB: sell your private home first, find somewhere temporary to live, and then wait 15 months before you could buy an HDB resale flat. That gap has now disappeared for eligible buyers.

What changed on 28 July 2026? 

If you own, or used to own, a private residential property, you can now buy a non-subsidised HDB resale flat of any size without serving the previous 15-month wait, provided you are not taking an HDB housing loan. The change applies regardless of your age. Previously, Singapore Citizens aged 55 and above were exempt only when buying a four-room or smaller non-subsidised resale flat.

This is not a blanket removal of every restriction on private owners buying HDB flats. Private property owners who buy a resale flat under this route must still dispose of their private residential property, in Singapore or overseas, within 6 months of completing the HDB purchase. And the rule change only touches the non-subsidised resale route: a separate 30-month wait-out period still applies if you’re buying a subsidised flat, using CPF housing grants, applying for a new Executive Condominium, or taking an HDB housing loan.

In short: if you’re downgrading condo to hdb and paying without an HDB loan, the 15-month clock that used to sit between selling and buying no longer exists. Everything else that applied before, including the requirement to eventually sell your private property, still stands.

Insights on the market from PropertyGuru data

PropertyGuru’s internal enquiry data shows that enquiries for HDB flats priced at $1 million and above rose 154% in the first full week after the policy change. Enquiries for $200,000 flats increased by roughly 8% over the same period.

The pattern makes sense when you consider who the rule change is likely to benefit. Some households moving from private homes may have more equity available from selling a condo or landed property, and could therefore be looking for larger, newer, or better-located resale flats rather than the most affordable units. This could help explain why enquiries grew more sharply in the million-dollar HDB segment than at the lower end of the market. The stronger increase suggests that removing the 15-month wait may have unlocked pent-up interest among some buyers looking at higher-priced resale flats.

This data should be treated as an informed interpretation rather than a proven buyer profile. PropertyGuru’s enquiry data shows which listings attracted enquiries; it does not reveal every enquirer’s housing history or confirm that they previously owned private property.

Who is most likely to benefit? 

The change could be most relevant to people who had already been considering a move but were held back by the 15-month wait. Someone who wants to buy hdb after selling condo can now explore the resale market without having to serve the previous 15-month wait.

Empty-nesters and older households right-sizing from a larger private home into a smaller HDB flat are another group this affects directly, since the previous rule applied regardless of age unless you were a Singapore Citizen aged 55 or older buying a 4-room or smaller flat, a narrower exemption than what’s now available to everyone.

The change could be particularly useful for: 

•  Empty-nesters moving from a larger private home into an HDB resale flat

•  Retirees looking to unlock housing equity

•  Families who need to remain near familiar schools, workplaces, or caregivers

•  Former private property owners who had already sold and were still serving the old 15-month wait

Buyers with pending appeals against the previous rule also no longer need to wait for HDB’s reply. They may proceed to apply for an HFE letter, subject to the remaining eligibility conditions.

Does this mean prices will increase? 

Not necessarily. An enquiry records interest in a listing, not a completed transaction. The same person may enquire about multiple properties, and some enquiries may reflect early-stage research rather than an immediate intention to buy. The first-week increase may therefore indicate pent-up interest, but it does not by itself show a sustained shift in demand or resale prices.

Some analysts covering the policy change have suggested it may help stabilise the resale market, or bring some private resale stock back onto the market as owners sell to buy HDB, while others note it’s unlikely to spike resale prices given first-time buyers still have other options. Both views are plausible readings of the same policy; neither is confirmed by a single week of enquiry data.

What PropertyGuru data indicated

Enquiries increased across all price bands in the first full week after the policy change, with the strongest growth recorded among higher-priced HDB flats: 

• $1 million and above: +154%

• $800,000: +86%

• $600,000: +42%

• $400,000: +25%

• $200,000: roughly +8%

The comparison is based on enquiries recorded in the weeks of 27 July and 3 August 2026. 

A removed obstacle, not a guaranteed outcome 

The removal of the 15-month wait-out period gives eligible private property owners more flexibility when moving into the HDB resale market. However, the early increase in enquiries should not be taken as evidence of higher transaction volumes or resale prices.

Before making the move, consider how you will finance the resale purchase, when you expect to sell your private property, whether you can meet the six-month disposal deadline, and how much of your sale proceeds you genuinely want to put into your next home.

The 15-month obstacle may be gone. Whether the move makes sense still comes down to your own timeline and finances.