By Winfred Quek · CEA R073319H · Published 4 November 2026
Facts verified: 2 November 2026 · Last reviewed November 2026 · Sources listed below
If you own in a condo that is 40 years or older, the headline is simple: the share of owners needed to sell the whole site is going down. The details matter more than the headline, because the same Bill also makes it harder to start a sale, shortens the time to collect signatures and keeps the protections for owners who say no.
This page reads the Bill text and the Ministry of Law page, then separates what is confirmed from what is still pending. It is about older condos only. For the basics of how a collective sale works, see the en bloc guide and how the sale committee process runs. It is not advice on whether to sign or object.
What the Bill changes for older developments
Today, section 84A of the Land Titles (Strata) Act asks for 90% of share values and 90% of total area if a development is under 10 years old, and 80% of both from 10 years onwards. The Bill replaces that with four age bands.
| Age of development | Current Act | Bill (B18/2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Under 10 years | 90% | 90% |
| 10 years to under 40 years | 80% | 80% |
| 40 years to under 60 years | 80% | 70% |
| 60 years and above | 80% | 65% |
The percentage applies to both share values and total area, at the same time, as it does now. The Bill's explanatory statement says how the thresholds are computed is unchanged. Unit count is still not the test.
Age is counted from the latest of the relevant dates for each building in the plan. That is the latest temporary occupation permit, or the latest certificate of statutory completion if there was no permit. So a development with one newer block is measured from the newer block.
Source: Land Titles (Strata) (Amendment) Bill, Bill No. 18/2026, clause 2 and new section 84FE, checked 2 November 2026. assets.egazette.gov.sg/2026/Legislative%20Supplements/Bills%20Supplement/26bills18.pdf
What is confirmed, and what is still pending
Three things need to be kept apart. The Bill was introduced on 4 August 2026, and that is on the Ministry of Law page and in the Gazette. Allen & Gledhill, a law firm, reports that it passed on 8 September 2026. Commencement is a separate step, and clause 1 of the Bill says the Act comes into operation on a date the Minister appoints by notification in the Gazette.
The Ministry of Law page says that date will be announced when ready. We did not find a commencement notice. Until one is published, treat the lower thresholds as passed but not yet in force, and the current 80% and 90% tests as the ones that apply.
On transition, the Ministry of Law says most amendments will apply to exercises where the first collective sale agreement signature has not been obtained by the commencement date. Where a signature was already obtained, the current framework carries on. For committees still gathering signatures, the Bill lets a development aged 40 years or more hold meetings within 7 months of commencement to end the current agreement and approve a new one under the new rules.
One more point. Some secondary reports mention a compulsory public tender or auction. We found no such requirement in the Bill text, the Ministry of Law page, or the law firm note, so this page leaves it out. Your lawyer should check the final Act.
Source: Ministry of Law, proposed amendments to the collective sale regime; Bill clause 1; Allen & Gledhill note on passage, checked 2 November 2026. www.mlaw.gov.sg/proposed-amendments-to-the-collective-sale-regime/
Allen & Gledhill note: www.allenandgledhill.com/sg/publication/articles/33548
Who gains, with an assumed example
The people who gain are owners of developments in the two new age bands who want a sale. The lower bar changes the size of the group that can say no.
Take an assumed development where every lot has the same share value and area, so that lots work as a simple count. These figures are invented for the arithmetic and real developments are rarely this even.
| Assumed 200 equal lots | Lots needed to agree | Lots that can block |
|---|---|---|
| At 80% (today) | 160 | 41 or more |
| At 70% (aged 40 to 59 years) | 140 | 61 or more |
| At 65% (aged 60 years and above) | 130 | 71 or more |
The blocking group grows from about one in five owners to more than one in three at the 65% level. That is the mechanical effect. It says nothing about price, and nothing in the law promises an en bloc premium over what owners could get selling on their own.
It also does not mean sales become automatic. A sale still needs a buyer at a price owners accept, and a committee that can hold the group together. How owners size up the odds is covered in spotting en bloc potential early.
What does not change for owners who do not want to sell
This is the part most headlines skip. The Bill restates the objection stages rather than removing them. As the Act and the Bill read:
- Objections. A non consenting owner can still file an objection with the Strata Titles Board within 21 days of the notice, with longer allowed in exceptional circumstances.
- Board and court. The Board still mediates, a stop order is still issued if objections stay, and the application can still go to the High Court.
- Grounds to refuse. The High Court is still not to order a sale if an objecting owner will incur a financial loss as the Act defines it, or if the proceeds for a lot cannot redeem the mortgage on it. The loss test compares the proceeds for the lot, after allowed deductions, with the price the owner paid for it.
- Top up for objectors. The cap on the court's increase of objectors' proceeds rises from 0.25% to 0.5% of the proceeds of sale per lot, or $2,000 per lot, whichever is higher.
What this means in practice is that the lower threshold changes who can start and win the vote, not what the Board and court can test afterwards. How that stage works for a holdout is set out in what happens to holdout owners. Disagreeing with the price is still not a ground in the Act.
Source: Bill clauses 2(m), 2(o) and 2(q); Bill explanatory statement, checked 2 November 2026. assets.egazette.gov.sg/2026/Legislative%20Supplements/Bills%20Supplement/26bills18.pdf
The parts that make a sale harder to start
The Bill is a package. Several changes cut against the lower threshold, and they apply to every age band, not only older condos.
- Requisition. To call a general meeting to form a collective sale committee, the requisition must be signed by owners with at least 35% of share value, or at least 35% of owners by number. The current figures are 20% by share value or 25% by number of units.
- Signature window. The permitted time to execute the collective sale agreement falls from 12 months to 6 months.
- After a failed attempt. A new meeting to form a committee cannot be convened within 3 years of a relevant event, the Act's term that includes a committee being dissolved, unless a higher requisition threshold is met. For events before commencement, the wait stays at 2 years. The first requisition after the event needs 50%. A second or later one needs the age band percentage, from 90% down to 65%.
- Dissolution. A committee is deemed dissolved in set cases, for example if no agreement is approved or signed within 12 months of the committee being formed.
Notice what these do together. At the 65% level, a requisition needs 35% to start and the group that could block is more than 35%. A committee in a 60 year old condo has to build real support early, then convert it quickly. For a first time committee this is a tighter funnel than the headline suggests.
Source: Bill clauses 10, 11 and 12 (Second and Third Schedules); Ministry of Law page, checked 2 November 2026. www.parliament.gov.sg/api/media/4885e7e0-f4c9-44d1-8280-d2d8f317f343/Land-Titles-Strata-Amendment-Bill-18-2026.pdf
What to check if you own in an older development
These are questions to ask, not a view on what to do.
- Which age band are you in? Age is counted from the latest permit across all buildings in the plan. Confirm the dates with the management corporation rather than assuming from the project's launch year.
- Where is any exercise today? Whether a first signature was already taken before commencement decides which rules apply.
- What is the ownership mix? The test is share value and area. Larger lots carry more weight than their count suggests, which can matter more than the percentage itself.
- What did you pay? The loss test looks at the price paid for the lot. Owners who bought recently, or with a large mortgage, should have a lawyer run their position against the proceeds.
- What does your mortgage look like? Proceeds that cannot redeem the loan are a ground in the Act, and the practical effect of a sale on your financing is worth a conversation with your bank.
For how proceeds are divided between owners, see how an owner's share is worked out. This page is general information on the law as published. It is not legal advice, so speak to a lawyer about your own estate before you sign or object to anything.
Frequently asked questions
Has the lower en bloc threshold for older condos taken effect?
Not as far as we could confirm on 2 November 2026. The Bill says the Act comes into operation on a date the Minister appoints by Gazette notification, and the Ministry of Law says the date will be announced. Law firm Allen and Gledhill reports the Bill passed on 8 September 2026. Until a commencement notice is published, the 80% and 90% tests in the current Act are what apply.
What consent is needed under the new thresholds?
The Bill sets 90% for developments under 10 years, 80% for 10 years to under 40 years, 70% for 40 years to under 60 years, and 65% for 60 years and above. The test is unchanged in form: owners must hold that percentage of both the share values and the total area of all lots.
Can a non consenting owner still object?
Yes. The Bill keeps the Strata Titles Board objection process and the High Court stage. It also keeps the grounds on which the High Court is not to order a sale, including a financial loss to an objector as the Act defines it, and proceeds that cannot redeem a mortgage on the lot.
Is there a compulsory tender or auction under the new rules?
We found none in the Bill text published on 4 August 2026, or in the Ministry of Law page and the law firm note we checked. Some secondary reports mention one, so ask your lawyer to check the final Act and any rules made under it.
How long does a committee have to collect signatures?
The Bill cuts the permitted time to execute a collective sale agreement from 12 months to 6 months. The Ministry of Law says most amendments apply to exercises where the first signature has not been obtained by the commencement date, and that the current framework continues where it has.
Full topic guide: Selling your home
Own in an older condo and want the numbers set out clearly?
Tell Winfred the age of the development, roughly what you paid and what you owe, and he will go through the published rules with you so you know which questions to take to your lawyer. General information only, not legal advice.
Ask Winfred on WhatsApp Book a free 30 minute callWinfred Quek, CEA R073319H, Crestbrick Pte Ltd (L3010886H). General information as at 2 November 2026, not legal, financial, tax or property advice. Legislation can be amended and commencement dates are set by notification, so check the Ministry of Law and Singapore Statutes Online before relying on any figure, and speak to a lawyer about your own estate. The worked example uses assumed figures. This page makes no price forecast.