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Will need advice.

My father passed over this year as sole owner of his flat instead of co - owner as assumed. He rewrote his will before his death bequeathing the flat to my mother but did not state as beneficiary.

My mother is currently staying there as occupier with helper. She is 75 years old and has dementia. We his daughters have taken over as executors and are slapped with a deadline of 1 year to take over ownership or return the father’s flat which is only 3 years under mop. Currently all the beneficiaries unable to take over excerpt for me. Coz my flat has just reached MOP and no family only tenant.

We are appealing to HDB to extend our ownership as executor and has wrote in with MP requesting for some extension.

We are faced with two grim scenarios
Scenario 1: I sell my flat and take over as owner of my father’s flat. Not in a good location. But his flat fully paid for.

Scenarios 2: I shift my mother to my flat and return my father’s flat to HDB. My flat is in a better location will fetch a better price in future. my flat also fully paid for.

We are upset that in both scenarios we stand to lose medical benefits and elder care subsidies even cdc vouchers she enjoy staying on her own. Her household income will increase by staying with me. I also lose my tenancy income.

Scenario 3: I add her in as co owner of my flat and remove my name. But she has to buy over the cpf monies that I took. She does not have enough short of another 100 plus K. I take over my father’s flat.

Anyone got any better advice or better scenarios?
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8 Answers

Sorry to hear about your loss.

The description is not so clear. Is your mum a Singapore Citizen? If she is, I believe she should be able to takeover ownership of the property, but she has dementia, the legal process could take sometime if she does not have a lasting power of attorney appointed.

You may wish to speak to your lawyer handling the estate for advise as you may need to apply to be a deputy for your mum and arrange for her to take over the ownership of this property. Read More
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Tan Pei Cheng (Pei)
I would be glad to assist you.
Feel free to contact me at wa.me/6597100155
Hope to hear from you soon.
Pei Mobile: (65) 9 7 1 0 0 1 5 5.
Email: peicheng.tan@propnex.com
Associate Group Director
Propnex Realty Pte Ltd Read More
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????‍⚖️ My View: Nothing Is Perfect — You Might Need to Balance Trade-offs and Seek Legal Help

From the options you listed — Scenario 1 (selling your flat + inheriting father’s) seems the most straightforward under HDB rules — but may be undesirable because of location and your mother’s care needs.
Scenario 2 (move mother to your flat, sell father’s) seems practical but may cause loss of subsidies and medical/elder-care support, which for a dementia patient could be critical.
Scenario 3 carries high risk because of dual-flat ownership rules — likely not accepted.

Given the combination of property, legal and social-welfare issues, my recommendation is:

Try to negotiate with HDB for a compassionate / discretionary exception, citing your mother’s age, medical condition, need for continuity, and your family’s willingness to comply with probate/administration.

At the same time, consult with a family/property lawyer — especially one experienced in HDB inheritance / elderly care / welfare to check if there might be legal or structural ways (trusts, family arrangements) to preserve flat + subsidies + care without violating HDB rules.

In parallel, prepare a backup plan: what happens if HDB doesn’t grant exception — how you’ll house and care for your mother (private rental, eldercare home, etc.), financial planning, support network, etc.
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Hi,

1) When the will state the flat is bequeathing to your mother, it implied that she is the beneficiary of the flat.
2) You should consult with a lawyer to confirm over this matter.
3) The only reason that your mother cannot be an owner of the flat is when she is a foreigner.
4) You mentioned to add her as co-owner of the flat means that she is eligible to keep the flat.
5) You should consult a lawyer on how you could transfer all ownership to her to keep your father's flat.
6) You may add in that you will inherit the flat's ownership when she pass on at a later date.
7) If (5) & (6) can be achieve, you will not be at a dilemma on how to settle the current issue.

All The Best!!!

Hope the above answer to your main concerns, but if there are more query, 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
 90110636 
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https://www.facebook.com/Homesellerbuyer

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Any response to our answer does not reach us until we scroll through each and every query posted daily.
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Hi, sorry to hear about your situation. Happy to support you on this matter.

It sounds to me that you could be successful in appealing for your mother to assume ownership of the flat that was rightfully bequeathed to her, if she is eligible to own a HDB on her own.

Perhaps you can drop me a text and we can explore this route or other options?

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. Happy to help your family figure out this situation together.

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
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It’s a tough spot, and you’ve already mapped out the main paths quite well. The issue is that HDB rules around inheritance, MOP, and eligibility don’t give much leeway, especially when the flat is still within its MOP and the owner has passed on.

Here are the actual workable scenarios, with the trade-offs laid out plainly:

1) You sell your own flat and take over your father’s flat
This is the most direct route from HDB’s point of view since you’re the only eligible beneficiary. You meet the citizenship and family nucleus requirements, and the flat is already paid up.
The downside is obvious: poorer location, and you lose your rental income. But from a compliance angle, this is the cleanest.

2) Move your mother into your flat and return your father’s flat to HDB
This avoids you having to sell your own flat.
But like you mentioned, it affects her subsidies, CDC vouchers and possibly her CHAS tier because her household income and household composition will change.
Financially, this is not ideal unless you’re prepared for higher care costs down the road.

3) Add your mother as co-owner of your current flat, remove your own name, and then you take over your father’s flat
This is theoretically possible but rarely feasible because of one problem:
Your mother needs enough CPF (or cash) to take over your refunded CPF usage.
Since she doesn’t have that amount, this path becomes very hard to execute unless you top up the difference in cash.

4) Appeal for extension as executor
You’ve already done the right thing by writing in and looping in your MP.
In complex cases like yours, HDB sometimes grants a short extension, especially when there are medical or caregiving considerations.
But even with an extension, the eventual outcome is usually the same — someone still has to take over the flat or return it.

5) A possible alternative that people sometimes overlook
If your mother originally met the eligibility to own that flat (citizen + age + family nucleus), HDB may allow ownership to be transferred solely to her even with dementia, as long as:
• A donee or deputy under LPA / Mental Capacity Act can legally act on her behalf
• The flat continues to serve as her home
This path depends heavily on her mental capacity status and whether an LPA or court-appointed deputy exists.
If she can legally become the sole owner, you won’t need to sell your own flat, and the MOP won’t restart.

This option is worth checking with HDB — many families miss this because they assume the elderly parent cannot be an owner. But HDB sometimes allows it as long as caregiving needs are clear and the parent continues to stay there. Read More
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Hi Fiona,

I will either propose getting your mum to take over the flat if she is eligible. In this way, she is able to fulfil the MOP and you can choose to sell in the future. Due to her existing medical conditions, you may need to check with a lawyer on how this can be done.

For option 2, I will suggest that you appeal to HDB to allow you to sell the flat in the open market so that you can use the funds to fund your mum's expenses. Selling in the open market will enable you to fetch a higher price as compared to surrendering it back to HDB.

Please feel free to contact me so that I can assist you further.

Regards,
Nick Tan
(M) +65 96 44 48 54
B.Eng(Chemical)(Hons)(NUS) / Cert-in-REA
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Good day to you.

Your father gifted the HDB flat to your mother, who is currently dealing with dementia. I recommend consulting a lawyer to apply for a Deputyship under the Mental Capacity Act. As her Deputy, you can petition HDB to allow your mother to retain the unit and rent it out to generate income for her daily expenses. However, despite the unit being fully paid off, there are still several obstacles. First, it must be determined if your mother is eligible to own the HDB unit. Additionally, obtaining the Deputyship may take between three to six months, and the appeal to HDB could also require a few months. Therefore, time is of the essence. HOWEVER, you might be able to have your acting lawyer contact DB and request that the case be placed "on-hold" while you obtain the Deputyship.

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