Ownership Guide

Keeping Your HDB Flat After Divorce, Death, Marriage or a Change in Status

An HDB flat is tied to the household that qualified for it. When the household changes, HDB reassesses whether you can keep the flat, and the answer can be different for a widow, a divorced parent, a divorced person without children and a couple who never married. Here is what HDB says for each situation.

A joint owner dies

For a flat held under joint tenancy, the deceased's share passes automatically to the remaining owners. You can keep the flat if you are a Singapore Citizen or PR, at least 21, and meet HDB's eligibility conditions to own a flat. If the lease has been issued, the remaining owners lodge a Notice of Death with the Singapore Land Authority, personally, through their own solicitor or through HDB's legal services. Documents include identity cards, the original death certificate and the title document if any, and registration and conveyancing fees are payable.

A sole owner or tenant-in-common dies

• The interest goes by the will, or by the Intestate Succession Act if there is none.
• The executor or administrator needs a Grant of Probate or Grant of Letters of Administration, then must apply for transmission of the flat within 6 months, using their own lawyer or HDB's services.
• Within 12 months after transmission, they must either change the ownership to eligible beneficiaries who want the flat, by resale of part-share or by a change not through a sale (see changing HDB flat ownership), or sell the flat.
• Beneficiaries who are not eligible can still receive the sale proceeds. The flat must have met the MOP as at the date of death to be sold on the open market. Studio Apartments, short-lease 2-room Flexi flats, Community Care Apartments and Lease Buyback flats cannot be sold, and the executor can write to HDB to return them.

Divorce

• You can retain it through a change of ownership not through a sale, or a resale of part-share. You may apply after the Interim Judgment (or Decree of Divorce), once property and child-care matters are settled.
• To sell on the open market after divorce, the MOP must have been met by the date of your Final Judgment or Certificate of Divorce, and you must satisfy the other selling conditions with the court documents HDB requires.
• If the MOP is not met and neither party can keep the flat, you may write to HDB to return it once the divorce is final, and HDB determines the compensation.

HDB suggests using the Housing Options Explorer on MSF's Family Assist portal, and checking how CPF-related assets are divided in a divorce. HDB does not grant a loan for the sum a court orders one party to pay the other. See also the divorce points in the ownership change guide.

Annulment, or a break-up of fiancé and fiancée

If a divorce is due to non-consummation or annulment, or a fiancé and fiancée break up, neither party is allowed to retain the flat. Retention is allowed only if either of your parents was originally listed in the application. Otherwise the flat may have to be returned at the prevailing compensation price, subject to HDB's approval.

Your child moves out to marry

HDB considers whether you can keep the flat alone on the merits of each case, so approach the managing HDB Branch.

You marry after buying as a single

Each eligible family unit can own only one HDB flat, and a married couple counts as one unit. If you bought a flat while single and then marry, you must list your spouse as a co-owner or occupier of the same flat. An occupier spouse is an essential occupier, so both of you must complete the MOP before renting out, buying private property or selling.

You or an occupier loses citizenship or PR status

HDB reviews your eligibility to keep the flat. If you cannot retain it, you must dispose of it on the open market, provided the MOP was completed when the status ceased and subject to the resale policy at the time. If the MOP was not completed, HDB acquires the flat at a compensation price it determines.

If a flat is sold after a life event, the process is in the selling guide, and the CPF refund is explained in CPF accrued interest.

FAQ

Related guides

• HDB Flat Eligibility (HFE) Letter: How It Works
• HDB EIP and SPR Quota: Buying and Selling Limits
• Can a PR Buy an HDB Resale Flat? (2026 Rules)

Figures current as of October 2026, from HDB's pages. HDB decides each case on its facts and the conditions at the time. This guide is general information only and is not legal advice; for divorce, death or estate matters, consult a lawyer and HDB.