After the seller grants the OTP, how long does an HDB resale take, step by step?

After the seller grants the Option to Purchase (OTP), an HDB resale runs through 8 stages that HDB sets out, ending at the completion appointment.

Reviewed by the Swee Homes data desk on 7 Oct 2026. Sources: HDB. Next check due 5 Jan 2027.

Before Day 0: what each side needs in place

Two things must already exist when the OTP is granted, one for each side.

Buyers must have a valid HFE Letter when granted an Option to Purchase by the sellers. The HFE Letter must be valid when submitting a resale application. A buyer must have a valid HFE letter before obtaining an OTP.

Sellers must have a valid Intent to Sell registered in the HDB Flat Portal at least 7 days before granting an Option to Purchase to the buyers. The Intent to Sell must be valid when submitting a resale application.

The sellers then prepare the OTP itself.

Print only 1 copy of the OTP as each form has a unique serial number. You must state the serial number of the OTP when you submit a resale application to HDB.

The flat sellers fill in page 1 of the OTP: the Option Date, flat address, purchase price, Option Fee, option expiry date, and the names and NRIC numbers of all sellers and buyers. At Clause 12 on page 4 they fill in the number of days from the date of exercising the Option within which the buyers and sellers have agreed to submit the resale application to HDB. All flat sellers sign page 8, and a witness aged 21 or above who is not involved in the resale transaction may also sign.

Day 0 to the next working day: the option period starts and the Request for Value is due

The clock starts on the Option Date, the day the seller grants the OTP.

Option Period: 21 calendar days (including Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays) after the Option Date. Option expiry time is standardised at 4pm.

For buyers who use CPF or a housing loan, the first deadline falls almost at once.

The buyers (or their salesperson) must submit the Request for Value, together with a scanned copy of page 1 of the OTP, by the next working day after the Option Date.

Buyers who are using their CPF moneys and/or taking up a housing loan must submit a Request for Value to HDB to determine the value of the flat, which forms the basis for their housing loan and CPF usage. It may only be submitted by buyers who have been granted an OTP by the sellers.

The first weeks: the valuation result

HDB will inform the buyers via email once the value of the flat is available in the HDB Flat Portal, which will typically be within 10 working days.

If HDB needs a valuer, the sellers also have a deadline.

If a valuation of the flat is required by HDB, the flat owners (sellers) must allow the assigned valuer to inspect the flat within 3 working days of being informed by HDB of the assigned valuer.

Before the option period ends: exercising the OTP

The result and the exercise date are linked.

The buyers have to wait for the outcome of the Request for Value before they may exercise the OTP during the Option Period. Buyers who use cash only (no CPF usage and no housing loan) do not need to submit a Request for Value.

To exercise the OTP, the buyers must: (i) sign the Acceptance portion on page 8 of the OTP, (ii) deliver the signed OTP to the sellers, and (iii) pay the Option Exercise Fee to the sellers. The Acceptance must be signed by all the buyers.

If you are taking a housing loan from a financial institution, you must have a valid Letter of Offer (LO), and the date of issue of the LO must be on or before you exercise the OTP.

Upon exercise of the OTP, the sellers and the buyers enter into a binding contract for the sale and purchase of the flat.

After exercise: the resale application and the 7-day window

You and the sellers may proceed to submit the resale application and the necessary documents after you have exercised the OTP.

Either the buyer or the seller may submit their portion of the resale application first. The second party must then submit their portion within 7 calendar days. If not, the application lapses, and both parties have to restart the application and pay the application fees again.

All resale applications are processed via the HDB Flat Portal on the HDB InfoWEB (www.hdb.gov.sg). Sellers and buyers mutually agree when to submit their portion of the application and must ensure the complete resale application is submitted within the timeframe they agreed.

A resale application can be saved as a draft while the supporting documents are prepared. The draft application will be available for 2 weeks.

What buyers and sellers each prepare for the resale application

Each side submits its own portion, with its own information and supporting documents.

When submitting the resale application, buyers provide the Option to Purchase details (address of the flat, sellers' particulars such as name and NRIC, OTP serial number, Option Date, Purchase Price, Option Fee, Option Exercise Fee and Acceptance Date) and the details of all applicants and occupiers, with supporting documents in PDF or JPG format. The list of documents required is provided in My Flat Dashboard when the application is submitted, and the information provided should be the same as in the HFE letter.

Buyers may be required to submit, if applicable: Identity Card or Passport (for non-citizens), marriage certificate, child's birth certificate, late spouse's death certificate, deed of separation or divorce documents, Power of Attorney and Lasting Power of Attorney. Buyers must state whether they are taking a housing loan from HDB or a financial institution: for an HDB housing loan, the reference number of the approved HFE letter; for a loan from a financial institution, a Letter of Offer from that institution.

Sellers provide the flat address, the buyers' particulars (such as name and NRIC), OTP serial number, Option Date, Purchase Price, Option Fee, Option Exercise Fee and 'Acceptance' date, plus the details of all sellers with supporting documents in PDF or JPG format. The information provided should be the same as in the Intent to Sell.

Sellers may be required to submit, if applicable: Identity Card or Passport (for non-citizens), Duplicate Lease if it has been issued, divorce or separation documents, Power of Attorney, Lasting Power of Attorney and a Letter of Consent from the Official Assignee. If the sole owner or a co-owner is deceased, the death certificate, Grant of Letter of Administration or Grant of Probate, the last Will or Inheritance Certificate and an Order of Court to sanction the sale are also needed.

If HDB is acting for the sale, sellers submit their bank account details within 3 calendar days of submitting the resale application, to avoid delays in processing. HDB accepts only bank accounts from DBS/POSB, OCBC and UOB, as these banks support automated account verification. Sellers who appoint their own solicitor give the bank account details directly to the solicitor.

The buyers' information must match the HFE letter. HDB covers the cases where it does not.

The applicants and occupiers in the resale application must remain the same as in the HFE letter application. To change them (for example adding or removing a household member, or a change in marital status or citizenship), buyers who have not submitted a resale application cancel the HFE letter and apply for a fresh one. Buyers who have already submitted write to HDB through MyRequest@HDB with the resale case number.

If the buyers submit a resale application with a valid HFE letter that expires before the resale completion, they may continue with the resale application without applying for a fresh HFE letter.

HDB's acceptance starts the next clock

If the resale application is in order, HDB will notify both parties of its acceptance within 28 working days, via SMS and emails.

The date of HDB's acceptance of the resale application marks the beginning of the 8 weeks processing time. The resale completion date stated in HDB's acceptance letter is the earliest possible date to complete the transaction. The buyers and the flat sellers may mutually agree on a later date and submit the request via MyRequest@HDB.

After acceptance, HDB also looks at the flat itself.

When HDB accepts the resale application, Technical Executives from the HDB Branch arrange to inspect the flat for unauthorised renovation works that may damage HDB property and affect structural stability. The inspection is not to ascertain the value or condition of the flat. Any unauthorised renovation works must be rectified before the completion of the resale transaction.

Within the weeks after acceptance: endorsement and payment

HDB prepares the documents for the buyers and the sellers to endorse, which will be ready about 3 weeks after the application has been accepted. If the buyers or the sellers do not endorse the documents within the given timeframe, the resale application may be cancelled.

You and the sellers must endorse the documents before HDB may approve the resale application. After endorsing, you must make payment for all the required fees and the initial payment by the deadline given by HDB.

What each side endorses depends on who acts as its solicitor.

If HDB is the buyers' solicitor, the documents to endorse in My Flat Dashboard are the buyer's financial plan, the CPF withdrawal based on the endorsed financial plan, a Health Declaration for the CPF Board's Home Protection Scheme (if taking an HDB housing loan and/or using CPF savings), and the undertakings and forms posted. Every buyer must endorse individually. If a Proximity Housing Grant is applied for, the parents or child also endorse the undertakings. With private solicitors, the documents to endorse may differ.

If HDB is the sellers' solicitor, the documents to endorse are the confirmation of bank account details, the sale proceeds computation, the acknowledgement for the Upgrading Programme (if applicable), the Spouse Consent for Sale of Flat (if applicable), and the undertakings and forms posted. If the spouse is not a co-owner, the spouse must agree to vacate the flat when the sale is completed. Every seller must endorse individually.

All buyers must have sufficient savings in their CPF Ordinary Accounts for the CPF withdrawal. If there are insufficient funds in the CPF accounts at the point of the deduction, the buyers pay any shortfall in cash.

Approval

Approval will be granted in 2 weeks' time after you and the sellers have endorsed the resale documents and made the necessary payments.

The completion appointment

HDB schedules the completion appointment and tells the buyers and sellers by SMS.

The resale completion is about 8 weeks after HDB's acceptance of the resale application.

Buyers must bring the documents stated in the appointment letter, and pay the balance purchase price of the flat and outstanding stamp fees (if any) on or before the resale completion appointment. Fire insurance must be purchased if obtaining an HDB housing loan.

The completion appointment is between 9:30am and 12:00pm if the buyers have an HDB housing loan, between 2:00pm and 5:00pm if they have a loan from a financial institution, and in either window if they take no housing loan. Where HDB is the solicitor, the parties attend in person at the HDB Resale Office, HDB Hub; where private solicitors act, a representative may attend.

To defer the resale completion, the buyers and sellers submit a written confirmation signed by both, agreeing to the new date, through MyRequest@HDB within a week from the date of HDB's acceptance letter.

A buyer or seller who cannot attend the completion appointment personally, for example because of being overseas, can appoint another person by Power of Attorney. Certified true copies of the Power of Attorney have to be submitted to HDB at least 1 week before the appointment.

Each side brings its own documents.

The documents in the buyers' appointment letter include the identity cards of all buyers, the spouse's passport and relevant visit pass or work permit if the spouse is neither a Singapore Citizen nor a Singapore Permanent Resident, payment receipts and/or Cashier's Order, and the Certificate of Insurance for fire insurance if applicable. Before the appointment the buyers arrange with the sellers to inspect the flat and confirm that vacant possession will be delivered by the completion date.

The documents in the sellers' appointment letter include the identity cards of all sellers, the spouse's passport and relevant visit pass or work permit if the spouse is neither a Singapore Citizen nor a Singapore Permanent Resident, the original Option to Purchase (pages 1 to 10), the signed Town Council confirmation letter on payment of service and conservancy charges (up to the resale completion date) and property tax (up to the end of the year), the original duplicate lease if it has been issued, and the full set of keys including any duplicates.

Sellers settle all outstanding payments before the appointment: service and conservancy charges up to the resale completion date, with the Town Council signing a confirmation letter, and property tax up to the end of the year. Sellers must also terminate all GIRO arrangements for payments relating to the flat. HDB posts the Town Council confirmation letter on My Flat Dashboard when the resale application is approved and the appointment is scheduled.

Sellers must vacate the flat before the resale completion appointment so that the buyers can take possession of the flat after the appointment. After vacating, sellers arrange with the buyers to inspect the flat and make sure the keys are available for handover during the appointment.

Then the appointment itself.

At the appointment the buyers sign the mortgage document (if taking an HDB housing loan), acknowledge receipt of the keys, pay the apportioned property tax to the sellers and state how they will pay the first month's service and conservancy charges. The sellers sign the legal document to transfer the flat ownership to the buyers, hand over the keys and apportion the property tax with the buyers.

Sellers' cash proceeds are credited directly to the bank account by the next working day after the sale is completed, with an email notification. HDB arranges the refund to the seller's CPF account within 7 to 14 working days from the date of the resale completion appointment. If the seller engaged a private solicitor, the solicitor arranges the CPF refund.

Fees and payments the buyers meet along the way

The fees fall at different stages, so they are listed in time order. Stamp duty rates are in the stamp duty guide.

Option Fee: an amount not exceeding $1,000.

Deposit: an amount not exceeding $5,000 (Option Fee + Option Exercise Fee = Deposit).

The Request for Value carries a processing fee of $120 (including GST), paid to HDB.

Buyers and sellers each pay an administrative resale application fee when submitting their respective portions: $40 for 1- and 2-room flats and $80 for 3-room and bigger flats. The fee is non-refundable and includes GST.

If HDB acts for the buyers, the legal fees to HDB for the transfer of flat ownership are based on the resale price, subject to GST and to a minimum fee of $21.80 (inclusive of GST), rounded up to the nearest dollar: first $30,000, 13.50 cents per $100 or part thereof; next $30,000, 10.80 cents per $100 or part thereof; remainder, 9 cents per $100 or part thereof. Legal fees can be paid by CPF savings. If the buyers engage private solicitors, the legal fees depend on those solicitors.

Registration and microfilming fees to the Singapore Land Authority are the same whether HDB or private solicitors act for the buyers: Title Search Fee $32, registration fee for transfer $38.30 and buyer's caveat $64.45. If the buyers take an HDB housing loan, there is also a registration fee for mortgage of $38.30 and a mortgagee's caveat of $64.45. Miscellaneous fees (inclusive of GST) are $16.35 when HDB acts and $5.45 when private solicitors act.

Stamp duty is paid to the Commissioner of Stamp Duties, IRAS, and is payable by CPF savings. To use cash instead, the buyers write to HDB after the resale application is accepted. If there are not enough CPF savings to pay the stamp duty in full, or the buyers take no housing loan but engage HDB, they pay the stamp fees at the resale completion appointment by cashier's order and/or NETS. Singapore Permanent Resident households buying their first HDB resale flat also pay the Additional Buyer's Stamp Duty at the completion appointment.

Buyers who take a housing loan make an initial payment after endorsing the resale documents, by the deadline given by HDB. With an HDB housing loan (loan-to-value limit of 75%) it is 25% of the lower of the resale price or value of the flat, of which a minimum of 5% is cash and the rest cash and/or CPF Ordinary Account savings. With a loan from a financial institution (loan-to-value limit of 55%) it is 45% of the lower of the resale price or value, of which a minimum of 10% is cash. These are the figures for complete resale applications received from 20 August 2024; HDB gives different figures for earlier applications. The balance purchase price is paid on or before the completion appointment.

Buyers who take no housing loan and engage HDB do not make an initial payment to HDB. They pay the applicable legal fees, such as the legal fees to HDB, the Title Search fee and the buyer's caveat, after endorsing the resale documents, and pay the full purchase price by the resale completion, in cash and/or CPF Ordinary Account savings (including CPF housing grants, if eligible).

Fees and payments the sellers meet along the way

If HDB acts for the sellers, the legal fee to HDB (inclusive of GST) for the transfer of flat ownership is based on the resale price, with a minimum of $21.80, rounded up to the nearest dollar: first $30,000, 6.75 cents per $100 or part thereof; next $30,000, 5.40 cents per $100 or part thereof; remainder, 4.50 cents per $100 or part thereof. The Title Search Fee is $32 and miscellaneous fees to HDB are $5.45. If private solicitors act for the sellers, the HDB legal fee for the transfer does not apply.

Sellers with an outstanding HDB housing loan pay HDB a legal fee (inclusive of GST) for the total discharge of mortgage, by flat type: 1-room $23.95, 2-room $35.95, 3-room $47.95, 4-room $59.95, 5-room $71.90, Executive flat or maisonette $83.90. A registration fee of $38.30 for total discharge of mortgage applies only to lease-issued cases. Sellers with an existing housing loan from a financial institution must engage private solicitors to act for the redemption of the loan.

The resale application fee for sellers is the same one that buyers pay, listed above.

What can make it longer

HDB states several points where the timeline can move.

Any delay in complying with the timelines for endorsement or payment, or in fulfilling the approval conditions, may result in the resale completion being postponed or the cancellation of the resale application.

The completion date will be within 8 weeks from the date of HDB's acceptance of the resale application, unless extended by HDB. HDB will not accede to any request to advance the completion date. A request to extend can be considered if made jointly by the sellers and buyers.

A missed deadline in the application can also restart the process, as the 7-day rule above shows.

If a deadline is missed, stage by stage

HDB states a consequence at most stages. Where it states none, this page says nothing rather than guessing.

At the option stage, the consequence falls on the buyers.

The OTP will expire if the buyers fail to exercise it within the Option Period. If the buyers decide not to proceed with the purchase, they can let the OTP expire and lose only the Option Fee.

At the application stage, a late second party is covered by the 7-day rule above. Incomplete documents and other defects have their own results.

A resale application is complete only when HDB receives both the buyers' and the sellers' portions and the necessary supporting documents. Incomplete documents may lead to the application being rejected, and the buyers and sellers then restart the application process and pay the application fees again. Application fees are non-refundable.

HDB cancels the resale application if: either side withdraws it by written notice; the buyers do not have sufficient funds to complete the purchase; the information given is incorrect, has changed from that in the HFE letter (other than employment, income and contact details), or either party has suppressed required information; either side is not eligible to retain the application under HDB's prevailing policies; or the transaction is aborted for any reason. If the flat application is cancelled, the buyers' HFE letter is also cancelled.

After acceptance, the consequences for endorsement, payment and the completion date are in the section on what can make it longer, above.

Worked example: a sample calendar from the Option Date

This is a sample calendar, not HDB's schedule, and real dates depend on HDB. It uses only the periods set out above. Working days are counted Monday to Friday here, and HDB's pages do not define the term, so treat each working-day date as approximate. The sample ignores public holidays.

Monday 6 July 2026 is the Option Date, the day the sellers grant the OTP. The Intent to Sell was registered at least 7 days earlier, and the buyers already hold a valid HFE letter.

Tuesday 7 July is the next working day. The Request for Value, with page 1 of the OTP, is due.

About Tuesday 21 July is the typical result date, 10 working days after the request. If HDB needs a valuer, the sellers allow access within 3 working days of being told who it is.

Wednesday 22 July: the buyers exercise the OTP, after the result is out. Monday 27 July at 4pm is the expiry, 21 calendar days after the Option Date, so this leaves five days to spare. The Option Exercise Fee goes to the sellers, and the contract is now binding.

Friday 24 July: the first side submits its portion of the resale application. The second side then has 7 calendar days, so Friday 31 July is the last day. If the agreed number of days in Clause 12 of the OTP is shorter, that earlier date governs. Sellers using HDB as solicitor give bank details within 3 calendar days of their own submission.

The RFV result runs for 3 months from the day it was made available, so the sample result of 21 July covers submission until about 21 October.

Acceptance comes within 28 working days of the complete application. For the calendar, assume HDB accepts on Monday 3 August. That date is the day the 8 weeks start.

About Monday 10 August: the last day to submit a signed request to defer completion, one week from the acceptance letter.

About Monday 24 August: the documents to endorse are ready, about 3 weeks after acceptance. Assume both sides endorse and pay by Monday 31 August.

About Monday 14 September: approval, 2 weeks after endorsement and payment.

Monday 21 September: the last day for certified copies of any Power of Attorney to reach HDB, 1 week before completion.

About Monday 28 September: the completion appointment, 8 weeks after acceptance. The buyers pay the balance and any outstanding stamp fees, and the sellers hand over the keys. The sellers' cash proceeds follow by the next working day, and the CPF refund within 7 to 14 working days.

If acceptance arrives later in the 28 working days, every date after it moves later by the same number of days. The dates before acceptance do not move.

Common questions

Where to go next

• Read every step of buying an HDB resale flat

Related guides

• How does an HDB resale flat purchase run, step by step?
• Am I eligible for a resale flat, and which grants can I get?
• How much stamp duty will I pay on a home?
• How much CPF can I use to buy a home, and how much goes back to CPF when I sell?

About the data

Every figure on this page has its source and the date we checked it. We are not affiliated with any government body. General information, not financial advice.