Receiving approval on your HDB Flat Eligibility (HFE) letter confirms your legal eligibility to purchase a resale flat on the open market. Ineligibility for an HDB concessionary loan simply means your financing must be structured through alternative avenues:
### 1. Primary Financing Route: Commercial Bank Loan
When HDB loan financing is not granted, buyers finance their purchase through a MAS-regulated commercial bank (e.g., DBS, OCBC, UOB, Maybank, HSBC, Standard Chartered):
* **In-Principle Approval (IPA):** Secure an official IPA from participating banks to lock in your confirmed borrowing quantum before issuing or exercising an Option to Purchase (OTP).
* **Loan-to-Value (LTV) Limit:** Up to **75%** of the flat purchase price or HDB valuation (whichever is lower).
* **Downpayment Requirements:** The remaining **25%** downpayment requires:
* Minimum **5% in cash**.
* Balance up to **20%** payable using CPF Ordinary Account (OA) savings and/or cash.
* **Borrowing Caps:** The loan quantum will be governed by the **30% Mortgage Servicing Ratio (MSR)** and the **55% Total Debt Servicing Ratio (TDSR)** under a medium-term stress-test interest rate of 4.0% p.a.
---
### 2. Fully Cash & CPF Financing (No Loan)
If bank financing is constrained or unavailable, the transaction can be structured as a **full capital settlement**:
* Deploying accumulated **CPF Ordinary Account** savings.
* Deploying net cash proceeds (e.g., from a completed property sale).
* In this structure, no monthly mortgage or bank commitment is incurred, and legal completion proceeds directly via HDB or appointed private conveyancing counsel.
---
### 3. Key Budgeting Items to Prepare
* **Option Fee & Exercise Fee:** Up to S$5,000 combined (maximum S$1,000 for Option Fee in cash; balance up to S$4,000 for Exercise Fee in cash).
* **Buyer’s Stamp Duty (BSD):** Payable via CPF OA or cash within 14 days of exercising the OTP.
* **Cash-Over-Valuation (COV):** Any agreed transaction price above HDB's official market valuation must be paid strictly in **cash**.
---
Gan Eng Joo Onassis 颜荣裕, REALTOR®
MSc BIT (Middlesex, England, United Kingdom); BBA (South Australia)
CEA Reg No: R021244C | Singapore Line:
(+65) 88899918
Email: onassis@sgagent.com
Singapore First and Most Established Branding for Real Estate Services:
SGAgent.com | SGRealtor.com | SGCommercial.com | SGCBD.com
SG Residential and Commercial Real Estate Specialist with over 1,000 Properties across Singapore
Pioneering 1-Stop Integrated Property Ecosystem:
• Property Financial & Capital Solutions: SGCASH.COM
• Property Repair, Maintenance & Reinstatement: SGREPAIR.COM
• Property Legal Advisory & Conveyancing Network: SGLEGAL.COM
Social (Facebook & TikTok): @sgcommercial
Read More