Asked by
I currently co-own an apartment together with my parents (they are in their 70s). We are in the process of selling the house and getting a resale house. I tried to apply for HFE as an applicant and my parents as occupiers but it stated that I'm not eligible for any grants. When I reamend the Step 1 HFE and removed my parents as occupiers, results changed and it stated that I'm eligible for CPF Housing Grant.

If I were to proceed without adding my parents as occupiers, can they still move in with me after selling our current house?

1) Can I include them as occupiers after purchasing/moving in the new resale house?

2) If they are not listed as occupiers, can they still change the address on their IC under my address?

3) With my parents CPF return, are they able to withdraw some of it to help out with the purchase of the new house?
0
45 views
Want this question answered?
Get faster responses from our experts by upvoting.
Be the first to upvote this question.

6 Answers

Hi Sir/Mdm,

If your current place is a private property and you are one of the co owners, you will not be eligible for the CPF housing grant. You may be eligible for the proximity housing grant.

Yes your parents are move in with you as long as you are physically occupying the HDB flat during the 5 years Minimum Occupation Period. If your parents are willing to use some of the CPF withdrawal to help you to finance the place, they are able to. You can check with CPF how much CPF they are able to withdraw after the sale.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any further questions!

Regards,
Nick Tan
(M) +65 96 44 48 54
B.Eng(Chemical)(Hons)(NUS) / Cert-in-REA
(E) nick96444854@gmail.com

SEAA Salespersons Achievement Platinum Award 2020/2022/2023/2025

WhatsApp: https://wa.me/qr/X6VRPGSSIHN5D1

Visit my website to get to know me better:
www.nicktan.com.sg

I was featured recently on Council for Estate Agencies (CEA) Newsletter:
http://bit.ly/CEAnews

Testimonial from my Clients

I would like to express my sincere appreciation for the excellent work you have done in managing both the sale and purchase of my condominium.
Throughout the entire process, you demonstrated strong market knowledge, professionalism and attention to detail. Your clear guidance at each stage — from pricing strategy and marketing, to viewings, negotiations and completion — gave me confidence and made what could have been a stressful experience very smooth and well managed. I am especially grateful for the way you coordinated the timelines between the sale and the new purchase, ensuring everything proceeded seamlessly. Your responsiveness and willingness to address my questions promptly were greatly appreciated. Thank you once again for your dedication and support. I am very pleased with the outcome and would be glad to recommend your services to others seeking a reliable and professional housing agent.
Jane Chng (Homeowner and Investor) 2026

Nick is THE absolute best agent, guide to navigating the property market in Singapore. From selling to buying, he manages to get the absolute highest when selling and negotiators to the absolute lowest when purchasing. (So double win for me!). In fact, I bought my new home at the absolute lowest transaction across all the transacting homes. Most agents would just give vanilla advice, he puts scrutiny into every potential choice we were making by advising potential gains, rental yields, back up plans. I think we went through a whole list of more than 20 + before narrowing down to a few high potential properties! Super responsive to our questions and handheld us through the process and even answered questions in the middle of the night. Would absolutely recommend working with Nick for anyone looking to buy, sell or just advice!
Kenneth (Seller and Buyer) 2025

Nick was introduced to me by a friend who learned that my previous property agent wasn’t meeting my expectations. During our first phone call, Nick quickly grasped my concerns and provided a detailed financial plan the next day. Since switching to Nick, selling my house has been much more relaxed. His virtual tour and informative fact sheet eliminated the need for my family and me to be constantly present for viewings by unsuitable buyers.
Nick was invaluable in purchasing my next property. He sourced units within my budget and analysed price trends of condo projects I was interested in. With Nick’s assistance, the buying process was seamless, and he expertly coordinated the sale of my current unit with the purchase of the next. Kudos to Nick for his outstanding service and advice!
Eileen Chen (Seller) 2024

During Nick’s presentation to us, he showed confidence and resourcefulness. He showed us his various methods of reaching out to potential buyers instead of just relying on Propertyguru. He also saw the potential of our home to sell at our projected price. Where other agents deem impossible to achieve, he did his analysis and deems it reasonable and ach Read More
1
Hi

Are you already 35 years old and above single Singaporean citizen? If so, you can purchase under single Singaporean citizen scheme, and need not include the parents as occupiers for the HFE application.

If they have met their CPF full retirement sums, the excess of that in the OA can be drawn down as cash for their own use, or to help you with your housing purchase.

As you are already a co-owner of the private property, you will not be eligible for any grants or hdb loan after selling the private property. Have you found a buyer for your private property?

Hope the above clarifies. I am well-versed with HDB and private property transactions, having helped more than 100 home-owners to smoothly complete their housing plans over the years. Please reach out to me at (65) 9 7 4 3 2 3 9 5 for a more in-depth discussion :)

May I have more info on your requirements so as to make better recommendations? Thanks and looking forward to chat more

Warm Regards,

Ivan Ng
ERA Senior Marketing Director
ERA Multiple Diamond Achiever

SIEA's Salespersons Achievement Award (Platinum) 2025
SEAA Salesperson Achievement Award (Gold)
SEAA Singapore Accredited Mortgage Planner (SAMP)

ERA Top 44th Achiever for Full-Year 2025 (Top 1% Company Level)
ERA Top 226th Achiever in 2nd Quarter 2025 (Top 3% Company Level)
ERA Top 11th Achiever in Feb 2024 (Top 1% Company Level)
ERA Top 64th Achiever in March 2024 (Top 1% Company Level)
ERA Top 37th Achiever in Oct 2023 (Top 1% Company Level)

SMU BBM (Finance), Magna Cum Laude
Proactive. Sincerity. Feedback.

Contact: (65) 9 7 4 3 2 3 9 5
Email: Ivanng10@gmail.com
IG: instagram.com/ivanngrealtor
WeChat: ivanng10
FB: fb.com/IvanNgRealtor
W: https://propertyportal.era.com.sg/agent/detail/R052114D
(Client's Testimonials)
CEA: R052114D

**Note: System does not prompt us when you respond here, hence please get in touch directly thanks!**

Condo seller, hdb resale buyer group

Mr & Mrs Wee : We would like to share our appreciation and commendation to Ivan for their professionalism and dedication in handling our property transaction. It was a great pleasure to work with him as he was patient throughout the entire process and explained to us and clarified any doubts we had without fail. He was also very prompt in responding to all the queries we had. While we were unsure if we were able to sell off the property in time, Ivan constantly reassured us that it was possible and offered his professional advice. In fact, he managed to secure an offer to sell the property above our expected price while concurrently negotiated the buying price for our next property. Having Ivan as our agent significantly made the entire process seamless and fuss-free. We will definitely recommend Ivan to our family and friends. Read More
1
It seems that you are able to purchase the next place as a single, thus your parents need not be the essential occupiers from your description. With this combination, your parents will still be able to live with you after the sale.

The only consideration for them could be what if you decide to ask them to move out and they do not have any place to stay therefore if they are alright with such an arrangement, it should be fine.

——

I have been in the real estate business since 2009, with more than 15 years of experience serving the Singapore real estate market. Check out the EdgeProp featured article on myself recently at https://www.edgeprop.sg/property-news/geryl-lim-leading-landed-real-estate-heart-hustle-and-harmony

I am very active in the residential segment of Singapore real estate market, having transacted hundreds of deals from HDBs to private condominiums and landed properties in Singapore, and have handled many unique cases in sales and purchases as well as rental deals.

Over the years, I have also established a network reaching out to more than 15,900 expatriates, bringing my market presence to both in and outside of Singapore. This has created an additional exposure when I manage my client's portfolios, on top of the conventional on and offline platforms, where other estate agents are relying on. This has allowed me to consistently convert leads into results.

With an evolving market, where change is the only constant, I have also been investing in upgrading of my knowledge and skills sets to improve myself and meet the demands of current and future market.

We are offering our clients a complimentary first consultation without obligations (Absolutely FREE!). Schedule for your FREE session today!

Warmest regards,
Geryl Lim
Deputy Branch Associate Director
Email: geryl.lim@orangetee.com / geryl7772@gmail.com
OrangeTee & Tie Pte Ltd 430 Lorong 6 Toa Payoh #01-01 OrangeTee Building Singapore 319402
Estate Agent Licence No. L3009250K
 +65 92787772 
www.geryllim.com

My self introductory video on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_2NydENfx0

-----

Note: We value your home as much as you do! Find out the indicative value of your home at http://bit.ly/UrHomeMatters and get monthly update on your home value. Restructure your portfolio with us, speak to us!

Tenants can visit http://bit.ly/SGExpatRental (Official Rental Requirements - Singapore Expatriates) to indicate your rental requirements.

Visit and Like my facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/GerylLimSince2009/ - Aspiring To Be The Best Real Estate Agent In Singapore

Pick up knowledge, skills and Real Estate concepts at https://www.facebook.com/RealEstateXcellence/

New Singapore Expatriates on facebook is up and running. Come join us at https://www.facebook.com/groups/newsgexpats/

-----
Landed Dynamic Alliance
Home of *7772 Hotline
Check out our latest Landed Dynamic Alliance 7772 mobile application on iOS or Android @ http://l.ead.me/7772 Read More
1
It sounds like you are in the midst of a housing transition that takes careful planning, and you're asking great questions!

1) If I were to proceed without adding my parents as occupiers, can they still move in with me after selling our current house?
- > Yes.

2) Can I include them as occupiers after purchasing/moving in the new resale house?
-> Yes, they will be regular (non-essential) occupiers.

3) If they are not listed as occupiers, can they still change the address on their IC under my address?
-> The IC should reflect their actual address. They should be listed as occupiers (which should be no issue to add later on) if they intend to move in with you afterwards

4) With my parents CPF return, are they able to withdraw some of it to help out with the purchase of the new house?
-> If they are not owners, they cannot use their CPF directly for said home. That being said, since they are past 70, if they have met the CPF requirements for retirement sums, they can withdraw some amounts from their OA for their retirement usage subject to CPF approval. Whatever they do with the money - which could include supporting your home purchase - is up to them to decide. You just need to time things correctly with a help of a competent agent.

-----------

Actually, there are many other policy, financing and timeline considerations that go into play here in the move you are describing. If you're available, I'll be happy to run you through all the things you really need to take note of and how to navigate the complex processes.

I'm a Harvard graduated real estate agent with a degree in economics, and I have a decade of experience working on Singapore public policy.

Feel free to reach out to me via whatsapp or email below and we can chat further.

Kay Cloud
The Harvard Educated Agent
Propnex Realty Pte Ltd
cloud@propnex.com
Tel: (+6.5.) 8.5.6.7.4.5.8.5
Whatsapp -> https://wa.me/6585674585 Read More
0
Hi! Really thoughtful questions and I can see you are trying to do right by your parents while maximising your grant eligibility. Let me address each one clearly.

Why Removing Parents as Occupiers Unlocks Your Grant:
When your parents are listed as occupiers, HDB factors in their property ownership history and profile into your application — which likely disqualifies you from grants. Removing them means your application is assessed purely on your own eligibility, which explains the change in results.
The good news — removing them from HFE does not mean they cannot live with you.
Question 1 — Can you add them as occupiers after moving in:
Yes, absolutely. You can register your parents as occupiers with HDB after you have completed the purchase and moved in. This is a straightforward update via the HDB portal or in person at an HDB branch. There is no restriction on adding immediate family members as occupiers post-purchase.
Question 2 — Can they update their IC address to yours even if not listed as occupiers:
Yes, they can update their NRIC address to your flat address regardless of whether they are formally listed as HDB occupiers. NRIC address registration with ICA is a separate process from HDB's occupier registration and one does not depend on the other.
Question 3 — CPF withdrawal from parents' CPF return to help with purchase:
This is where it gets more complex. When your parents sell their share of the current apartment, their CPF principal and accrued interest will be refunded to their respective CPF OA accounts. However since they are not listed as owners or co-applicants on the new resale flat, they cannot directly use their CPF to fund your purchase.
What they can do:

Withdraw their CPF OA savings in cash if they are above 55 and have met their Basic Retirement Sum — and then gift or loan you the cash to assist with the purchase
This is subject to their individual CPF balances and retirement sum requirements at their age

Given your parents are in their 70s, they have very likely already met their retirement sum requirements, meaning CPF withdrawal in cash should be accessible to them.
My overall recommendation:
Proceed with the HFE without listing your parents as occupiers to secure your grant eligibility, then add them as occupiers through HDB after completion. This is a clean, legitimate approach that protects both your grant entitlement and your parents' ability to live with you.
I would be happy to guide you through the full resale process and help you maximise your grant amount. Which area are you looking at for the new resale flat? Read More
0
Hi,

1) I highly doubt the accuracy of the HFE application result according to the info provided.
2) If you co-own a private residential property with your parents and you are below 55 yrs old. You have to observe a 15-mth wait-out period before eligible to buy a resale HDB flat.
3) If you co-own a private residential property and you are at 55 or older, you are eligible to buy a 4-rm or small resale HDB flat without HDB loan and grants.
4) The HFE result should remains the same whether your parents are added as occupier or not.
5) You will only be eligible for any housing grant and HDB loan by observing a 30-mths wait-out period after selling.
6) It is recommend to seek advice from the CPF over the refund CPF after selling. There are too many factors on it to have a different result.
7) Your questions (1) & (2) are not valid. Please see my (2) & (3).

All The Best!!!

Hope the above answers your main concerns, but if there are more queries, please feel free to contact me at 90110636  or email: ling.ck7@gmail.com if more information is needed.
I'll be glad to assist.

Best regards
Ling CK
9011 * 0636
ling.ck7@gmail.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ckling/
https://agents.huttonsgroup.com/R056727F/ Read More
1

Still looking for answers?

Get answers from PropertyGuru experts in 24 hours

Previously Asked Questions