Title search and requisitions

A title search and a set of requisitions together form the standard due diligence a buyer's lawyer runs before a Singapore property sale completes. The title search itself is a request to the Singapore Land Authority for the current title record of the property, which shows who legally owns it, whether the title matches what the seller has represented, and what is registered against it, most commonly an existing mortgage or a caveat. For strata property such as condominiums, the search also confirms the share value and lot details tied to the unit. This is the document that finally answers the question every buyer's lawyer is really asking: does the seller actually have clean, sellable title to this property.

Requisitions sit alongside the title search and cover ground the title record alone does not. A lawyer sends formal requisitions to bodies such as the relevant town council or MCST, URA, and, for HDB flats, HDB itself, asking whether there are any outstanding property tax, conservancy charges, planning contraventions, or unauthorised renovation works tied to the unit. In a resale HDB transaction, HDB's own process effectively performs this function as part of the standard resale procedure. In a private resale, the buyer's lawyer typically sends these requisitions in the weeks after the Option to Purchase is exercised, well before legal completion, so that anything unresolved has time to be sorted out before the money changes hands.

What commonly goes wrong is less often a fundamental title defect, which is rare, and more often something practical surfacing late. Unauthorised renovation works done by a previous owner, an addition or a knocked down wall that was never approved, sometimes only comes to light through the requisition process, and resolving it can add time before completion. Outstanding property tax or conservancy charges left unpaid by the seller are another common finding, and these are typically settled out of the sale proceeds at completion once flagged. Occasionally a title search turns up a caveat or mortgage the seller had not mentioned, simply because they had forgotten about an old charge rather than deliberately concealing it, but it still needs to be cleared before the sale can close cleanly.

What a buyer should actually check is straightforward: confirm with your lawyer, early in the transaction, that both the title search and the full set of requisitions have been sent, not just the title search alone, since it is often the requisitions that surface the more practical issues. A seller can save everyone time by disclosing any known renovation work, disputes, or unpaid charges upfront rather than letting them surface through the formal process. Both sides should expect that anything unresolved gets addressed, usually financially, before completion, and that a competent conveyancing lawyer is the one running this process, not the property agent.

Winfred Quek is an Associate Marketing Consultant at Crestbrick Pte Ltd (CEA Licence No. L31010886H). CEA R073319H. This page is for general information only and does not constitute financial, investment, or legal advice. Verify current figures with IRAS, HDB, CPF Board, or MAS before making any decision.