Singapore Housing Guide: HDB, Executive Condos & Private Property

As is well known, Singapore faces land scarcity issues, yet it is currently home to a population of 5.7 million people. Depending on what your bank account allows, there are many housing types to choose from, ranging from cozy single rooms to bungalows.

In this article, we will explore the different types of housing in Singapore’s public and private sectors, as well as their subcategories.

Residential Properties in Singapore

Singapore Public Housing (HDB Flats)

Public housing in Singapore is managed by the Housing & Development Board (HDB) and is commonly referred to as “HDB flats.” About 77.2% of Singapore resident households live in an HDB flat (SingStat, 2025).

HDB units can be sold as new units during Build-To-Order (BTO) launches or as resale flats on the secondary market.

Pros: Affordable Housing

HDB flats are sold by the government with a 99-year lease and come with substantial subsidies. Coupled with various housing grants and priority schemes available at the time of purchase, HDB flats are easily accessible to most Singaporeans.

Cons: More Restrictions to Follow

Due to their affordability, the government imposes many restrictions. For example, new flats carry household monthly income ceilings: $8,000 for 99-year 2-room Flexi flats and generally $16,000 for 3-, 4- and 5-room flats (individual projects follow their own sales launch announcement); $18,000 for ECs (sites whose land tender closes on or after 24 Aug 2026) and $24,000 for multi-generation families. There is no minimum income requirement, and resale flats may carry no income ceiling at all. (These ceilings took effect on 24 August 2026, following the National Day Rally on 23 August 2026. They apply to HFE letter applications from that date; the EC ceiling applies to projects whose land tender closes from that date.) The household must include a Singapore Citizen (SC) or a Singapore Permanent Resident (PR).

Buyers of HDB properties must also adhere to a five-year Minimum Occupation Period (MOP), during which the unit cannot be sold or rented out.

For those wishing to rent or lease an HDB flat, there is a minimum rental period of six months. HDB units can only be rented to Singapore citizens, permanent residents, or non-citizens holding an Employment Pass, S Pass, Work Permit, Student Pass, Dependant Pass, or Long-Term Social Visit Pass (LTVP) with a validity of at least six months. Tourists are not allowed to rent HDB flats.

HDB units come in various sizes to meet the needs of different families and individuals, as detailed in the table below.

1. 2-Room Flexi Flat

Previously, HDB offered studio apartments, which had a similar layout and size to 2-room flats but with 30-year and 99-year leases, respectively. These were later merged into the 2-Room Flexi scheme.

Seniors aged 55 and above can opt to buy such properties with a lease of 15 to 45 years (in five-year increments), long enough to last until the buyer and their spouse reach 95 years of age.

First-time single applicants aged 35 and above, as well as families buying their first or second HDB flat, can purchase a 2-Room Flexi flat with a 99-year lease.

The 2-Room Flexi unit comes in two sizes: Type 1 is 36 sqm (387.5 sq ft), while Type 2 is about 45 sqm (484.4 sq ft). This unit is suitable for seniors and smaller families on a lower budget.

HDB launched Community Care Apartments in the February 2021 BTO sales exercise. This type of 2-Room Flexi unit comes with a basic service package to support communal living for senior residents and is exclusively for individuals aged 65 and above.

Unsurprisingly, the prices of these units are much cheaper than private apartments with only one or two bedrooms.

HDB Features:

• One bedroom
• One bathroom
• Kitchen
• Storeroom-cum-bomb shelter

2. 3-room flat

For families with limited financial resources and smaller households, the 3-room flat is a practical option. These units have two bedrooms, one of which is a master bedroom with an en-suite bathroom. The layout area is approximately 60 sqm (645.8 sq ft) to 65 sqm (699.6 sq ft).

HDB Features:

• Two bedrooms
• Kitchen
• Living and dining area
• Common bathroom
• Service yard
• Storeroom-cum-bomb shelter

3. 4-room flat

The 4-room unit offers a flexible and comfortable living space, making it suitable for expectant parents. With an area of about 90 sqm (968.8 sq ft) to 93 sqm (1,001 sq ft), it comes with three bedrooms, one of which is a master bedroom with an en-suite bathroom.

HDB Features:

• Three bedrooms
• Living and dining area
• Kitchen
• Common bathroom
• Service yard
• Storeroom-cum-bomb shelter

4. 5-room flat

This spacious unit, measuring about 110 sqm (1,184 sq ft) to 112 sqm (1,205 sq ft), is ideal for large families as it has three bedrooms, one of which is a master bedroom with an en-suite bathroom.

HDB Features:

• Three bedrooms
• Living and dining area
• Kitchen
• Common bathroom
• Service yard
• Storeroom-cum-bomb shelter

5. 3Gen flat

The forward-thinking HDB introduced this unit type to meet the needs of multi-generational families. At 115 sqm (1,237.8 sq ft), it is the second-largest flat currently offered by HDB and has the most rooms. It includes a total of four bedrooms, two of which have en-suite bathrooms.

New and resale 3Gen flats can only be purchased by multi-generational families, including married or engaged couples with parents, or widowed/divorced individuals with children and parents. The applicant couple must be eligible to buy a flat under the Public Scheme. If buying with parents, one of them must be a Singapore Citizen or Permanent Resident (PR).

⚠️ Please note that if purchasing with parents, no one in the core family can own any other property in Singapore or abroad, and the income of all individuals will be considered to ensure the total household income does not exceed the $24,000 income ceiling.

3Gen flats were first launched by HDB in Yishun in 2013.

HDB Features:

• Four bedrooms
• Living and dining area
• Kitchen
• Common bathroom
• Service yard
• Storeroom-cum-bomb shelter

6. Executive flat

At 130 sqm (1,399.3 sq ft), this is the largest HDB flat currently offered. It has a total of three bedrooms, one of which is a master bedroom with an en-suite bathroom. It comes with additional space that can be used as a study, and some units feature a balcony.

HDB Features:

• Living area
• Dining area
• Kitchen
• Common bathroom
• Storeroom-cum-bomb shelter

7. DBSS (Design, Build and Sell Scheme) flat

HDB Features:

• Four bedrooms
• Large space
• Communal facilities like BBQ pits and multi-purpose sports courts

In 2005, HDB launched the Design, Build and Sell Scheme (DBSS), where public housing units were built by private developers.

Similar to Executive Condominiums (ECs), which we will discuss later, these flats were targeted at the “sandwich class” who could afford a home better than a standard HDB flat but could not yet afford a private property.

However, the government suspended the DBSS scheme indefinitely in July 2011 after public outcry over Sim Lian Group pricing a five-room flat at Centrale 8 at $880,000, which was beyond the means of most middle-class families. It was noted that HDB had no control over the pricing of such units.

Furthermore, Singaporeans complained that Centrale 8 was poorly designed, with buildings packed like sardines and units smaller than the typical 90 sqm to 110 sqm of a regular HDB flat.

The price for a five-room flat in the project was later reduced to $778,000, but five-room flats in five other DBSS projects tendered before the scheme was suspended were sold for around $700,000.

Another scandal occurred in March 2012 when it was discovered that the BTO project Clementi Ridges was 20% to 25% cheaper than the nearby DBSS project, Trivelis. Buyers of the latter were angry because they were unaware that a more affordable BTO project would be built nearby and had spent their hard-earned money on a unit in Trivelis.

In total, 13 DBSS projects were launched, comprising about 8,650 units, before the indefinite suspension.

Unlike ECs and HUDCs, there is currently no option to privatize DBSS flats.

8. Executive maisonette

Across 6,955 Executive maisonette resale transactions between January 2017 and August 2026, the median internal floor area was about 146 sqm, with roughly 95% falling between 140 and 160 sqm. (Source: HDB resale flat prices dataset, data.gov.sg)

HDB Features:

• Two stories
• Large size
• Equipped with three bathrooms
• Balcony space

An executive maisonette is a type of HDB flat that is no longer being built, having been replaced by the Executive Condominium (EC). Consequently, the supply of executive maisonettes in Singapore is limited, and they are mainly concentrated in mature estates such as Ang Mo Kio, Bishan, Bedok, Bukit Panjang, Bukit Batok, Choa Chu Kang, Hougang, Pasir Ris, Queenstown, Serangoon, and Sembawang.

9. Jumbo flat

HDB Features:

• Area up to 170 sqm
• Spacious
• Up to seven bedrooms
• Balcony space

In the 1990s, there was an oversupply of HDB flats in outlying areas like Yishun and Woodlands. At the time, these estates lacked nearby amenities, making it difficult for HDB to sell the flats.

To entice Singaporeans to buy flats in these remote areas and to deal with the large number of unsold units, HDB combined many HDB units into one, effectively creating the “jumbo” flat. HDB later launched sales of these homes in mature estates such as Ang Mo Kio, Bishan, Bedok, Hougang, Jurong East, Pasir Ris, and Tampines.

Jumbo flats typically range from 133.96 sqm to 170 sqm (approx. 1,442 sq ft to 1,830 sq ft), as they are a combination of two 3-room or 4-room flats. As such, these units contain at least seven rooms with huge living spaces (at least by HDB standards), and some jumbo flats also come with balconies.

10. HDB Terrace House

HDB Features:

• Same look and feel as a landed property
• About 84 sqm (900 sq ft) of living space
• Two stories
• Located in prime areas like Queenstown and Whampoa

HDB terrace houses were built by the Singapore Improvement Trust (SIT) in the 1950s. SIT was the predecessor of HDB, responsible for public housing before HDB’s inception. A total of 285 HDB terrace houses were built in the Whampoa and Queenstown areas. Each has about 84 sqm (900 sq ft) of living space spread across two floors.

After HDB was formed, it took over the terrace houses from SIT in the late 1960s and early 1970s, at which point they were given a new 99-year lease.

Singapore Public-Private Hybrid

An EC is built by a private developer but regulated by HDB under public-housing rules, so it is neither an HDB flat nor a fully private condominium. ECs carry a household income ceiling of S$18,000 (sites whose land tender closes on or after 24 Aug 2026) and must meet a minimum occupation period (MOP) before resale on the open market. For EC sites whose land tender closed on or after 8 May 2026 the MOP rises from 5 to 10 years, with full privatisation moving from 10 to 15 years; earlier projects keep the old rules. Confirm which set applies with the developer or HDB.

Singapore Private Residential

Private homes divide into non-landed condominiums and apartments, and landed housing such as terraces, semi-detached and detached houses. Under URA development control the minimum site area is 1,000 sqm for a flats/apartment development and 4,000 sqm for a condominium — the larger site being required for more communal and recreational facilities.

For the full breakdown of private property types, tenure (99-year, 999-year and freehold) and exactly what foreigners and permanent residents may buy, see our overview: Singapore property types explained.

What can foreigners and permanent residents actually buy?

Singapore citizens can buy almost any housing type. Permanent residents cannot buy a new HDB flat but may buy a resale flat once every applicant has held PR for 3 years, subject to quota, and may buy private housing. Foreigners cannot buy any HDB flat or a not-yet-privatised EC; they may buy non-landed private homes freely (with 60% ABSD; qualifying FTA buyers receive Singapore-citizen rates), while landed property generally requires SLA approval that is rarely granted.

For ABSD rates, the SLA approval threshold for landed property and the full buyer-eligibility comparison across every property type, see Singapore property types explained.

Frequently asked questions

Can foreigners buy an HDB flat in Singapore?
No. Neither a new BTO flat nor a resale flat is open to foreigners who are not Singapore citizens or permanent residents. This is a basic restriction of the HDB scheme, with no exception and no approval route.

How long must a permanent resident wait before buying a resale HDB flat?
For an all-PR household with no Singapore citizen, every applicant and essential occupier must have held PR for at least 3 years. If the household includes at least one citizen, that waiting period does not apply. Non-Malaysian PR households must also fall within the SPR quota for the block (8%) and the neighbourhood (5%); even after 3 years, a specific flat may be unavailable if its quota is full. Current quota status can be checked on the HDB Flat Portal.

What is the difference between an EC and a private condominium?
An EC is a “sandwich class” housing type built by private developers under HDB rules, with a household income ceiling of S$18,000 (sites whose land tender closes on or after 24 Aug 2026) and a minimum occupation period before resale. For sites whose land tender closed on or after 8 May 2026 the MOP is 10 years; earlier projects keep 5 years. Only after full privatisation (15 years under the new rules, 10 under the old) does an EC behave like a private condominium and become sellable to foreigners. A private condominium has none of these restrictions and no income ceiling.

Can foreigners buy landed property such as a bungalow or terrace house?
Generally no. It requires approval from the Land Dealings Approval Unit (LDAU) of the Singapore Land Authority, assessed case by case, and approval is granted only rarely. Sentosa Cove is the main exception, where foreigners may apply for LDAU approval for a site of up to 1,800 sqm. One practical exception elsewhere: a strata-landed home within an approved condominium development is not restricted property.

Does buying property in Singapore help with a PR or immigration application?
No. Buying property — HDB, EC or private — is entirely separate from ICA’s permanent residence assessment. Owning Singapore property does not add weight to a PR application and is not an immigration route.

Official sources

• HDB — Couples and Families (eligibility, citizenship conditions, income ceilings)
• HDB — Conditions After Buying an EC (MOP rules)
• HDB resale flat prices dataset (data.gov.sg) — actual transacted floor areas
• URA — Flats & Condominiums: Site Area

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