Joint Singles Scheme: Buying a Flat With a Friend

Yes. Under HDB's Joint Singles Scheme, two to four single Singapore citizens aged 35 and above can jointly apply for an eligible resale flat or a 2 room Flexi BTO flat, subject to the singles income ceiling. Each applicant becomes a coowner of the flat.

Eligibility: age and number of applicants

HDB's own eligibility page for singles lists two routes: buying alone, or buying with up to three other singles under the Joint Singles Scheme, for a maximum of four coapplicants. Every applicant must be an unmarried, divorced or widowed Singapore citizen, and the minimum age is 35.

Ownership structure

A Joint Singles Scheme flat is registered with every coapplicant named on the title, most often as joint tenants, meaning each of you holds an equal, undivided share and the right of survivorship applies if one owner passes away. Some groups choose tenancy in common instead, which lets each person hold a defined, and possibly unequal, percentage share, useful when contributions to the down payment or mortgage are not 50/50 from the start.

This choice matters more than it looks. Joint tenancy is simple and assumes equal footing. Tenancy in common protects the person who pays more of the deposit, but requires a written agreement, ideally drawn up by a lawyer at the point of purchase, spelling out each party's share and what happens on a later sale. If you are unsure which structure fits your situation, this explainer on joint tenancy versus tenancy in common walks through both in plain terms.

Timing: what an exit looks like later

Every joint singles purchase eventually reaches a decision point. Someone gets married, someone's job moves overseas, someone simply wants to cash out.

• Buyout: one owner sells their share to the other under HDB's transfer of flat ownership rules, subject to the remaining owner meeting eligibility alone and being able to refinance the outstanding loan in their own name.
• Joint sale: the flat is sold on the open resale market once the minimum occupation period is met, proceeds split per the ownership agreement, and CPF refunds with accrued interest returned to each owner's own CPF account.
• One party moves out, no ownership change: possible short term, but it does not resolve the underlying question of what happens at MOP or when a sale eventually becomes necessary.

Frequently Asked Questions