6 min read
Executive Condominiums now come in two versions, and the difference is five years
Executive Condominiums on land tendered on or after 8 May 2026 have a 10-year Minimum Occupation Period and privatise in the 15th year. ECs already tendered keep the 5-year MOP and 10-year privatisation. The Deferred Payment Scheme has also been abolished for uncompleted ECs.
On 8 May 2026 the Ministry of National Development made three changes to the Executive Condominium scheme. Together they create a two-track EC market that will persist for the next decade, and the track a project sits on is determined by something no marketing brochure leads with: the closing date of the land tender.
| Land tender closed before 8 May 2026 | Land tender closed on or after 8 May 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Occupation Period | 5 years from TOP | 10 years from TOP |
| Can sell to Singaporeans and PRs | After 5 years | After 10 years |
| Full privatisation — sale to foreigners and entities | In the 10th year | In the 15th year |
| Can rent out the whole unit | After 5 years | After 10 years |
| Can buy another residential property | After 5 years | After 10 years |
The other two changes
The Deferred Payment Scheme has been withdrawn. Developers can no longer offer DPS on uncompleted ECs, so all EC buyers are on the Normal Payment Scheme of progressive payments. DPS let buyers pay 20% upfront and defer the balance to TOP, generally at a price premium of 2% to 3% — its removal lowers the headline price but raises the cash flow demand during construction.
The first-timer quota has risen from 70% to 90%, and the first-timer priority period has been extended from one month to two years from launch. If you are a first-timer, your odds of securing a unit have improved substantially. If you are not, they have narrowed.
The eligibility rules that did not change
- Household income ceiling of $16,000 a month.
- Applicants must be Singapore Citizens with at least one other Citizen or PR; two or more singles applying jointly must all be Citizens.
- You must not own, and must not have disposed of within the last 30 months, any local or overseas private residential property.
- Any existing HDB flat must be disposed of within six months of completing the EC purchase.
- Bank loan only — no HDB loan — and the 30% Mortgage Servicing Ratio applies to ECs bought from a developer.
- A resale levy of $55,000 for families or $27,500 for singles applies if you later buy a subsidised HDB flat or a second developer EC.
Primary sources
Every figure in this article was checked against these on 1 August 2026. If you find one out of date, tell me and I will correct it.
Frequently asked
Every question on hdb & executive condominiums- What is the MOP for an Executive Condominium in Singapore?
- It depends on when the land was tendered. Executive Condominiums on Government Land Sales sites with tender closing dates on or after 8 May 2026 have a 10-year Minimum Occupation Period and privatise in the 15th year. ECs on sites tendered before that date keep the 5-year MOP and privatise in the 10th year. The MOP is counted from the date of the Temporary Occupation Permit.