Lentor Gardens Residences and the Progressive Payment Scheme

By Winfred Quek · CEA R073319H · Published 30 June 2026

Rates and thresholds change. The current figures are kept in one place: the Singapore property rules reference.

Facts verified: 16 June 2026 · Launch pricing released; contact for the current sheet · Sources linked below

One question I hear from almost every upgrader looking at Lentor Gardens Residences is the same: how do I pay for a new home that has not been built yet, while I still own the one I live in? It is the right thing to worry about. The answer is the Progressive Payment Scheme, the default structure for any new launch you buy before it tops out. Understood properly, it is one of the most useful features of buying off plan, because it spreads your outflow across the construction period instead of demanding everything at once. This guide walks through each stage, what comes out of your pocket and when, and why the timing happens to suit someone juggling two properties.

What the Progressive Payment Scheme actually is

When you buy a completed property, you pay the downpayment, take a loan, and start full monthly instalments almost immediately. A new launch under construction works differently. Lentor Gardens Residences is expected to reach its Temporary Occupation Permit, the point at which it is legally fit to live in, around Q1 2029 (estimate). Between booking in 2026 and that completion, you pay the developer in a fixed sequence of instalments, each one released as a defined stage of construction is finished and certified by the project architect.

The percentages are set by the standard sale and purchase agreement used across Singapore new launches, not chosen by the developer for this project. That is the first thing to know: the schedule below is the same framework you would face at any condo bought off plan. What differs from project to project is only the price the percentages apply to, and that price for Lentor Gardens Residences is released 4 July 2026.

The stage by stage cash outflow

Here is how the outflow unfolds, expressed as the standard percentage of the purchase price at each milestone. The dollar column is an illustration only, applied to an analyst estimated 3 bedroom quantum of approximately S$1.84m (estimate, made before the 4 July 2026 price list came out). Your actual figures depend on the confirmed price and your unit.

Percentages follow the standard Singapore sale and purchase agreement for buildings under construction. Dollar figures are illustrative, applied to an analyst estimate, and are not developer prices. Buyer's Stamp Duty and any ABSD are payable separately, not shown above.

Read the table as two halves. The first 20%, your booking fee and the balance of the downpayment, is what you fund yourself from cash and CPF within the first couple of months. Everything after that, the 80% spread across the construction stages, is drawn from your housing loan as each milestone is hit. You do not write those later cheques; the bank disburses directly to the developer when the architect certifies the stage.

How your loan and instalments ramp up

This is the part that makes progressive payment genuinely helpful, and it is widely misunderstood. Because the loan is released in pieces, you only pay interest on the amount disbursed so far, not the full loan, from day one. In the early construction stages only a slice of the loan is out, so your monthly instalment is small. As foundation, framework and walls are certified over the following years, more of the loan is drawn and the instalment steps up each time. The full monthly repayment on the entire loan only kicks in once the project reaches TOP, estimated around Q1 2029.

In practical terms, a buyer who books in 2026 might be servicing only a modest monthly figure through 2027 and into 2028, with the payment climbing toward the full instalment as completion approaches. That gentle ramp is the opposite of a resale purchase, where the full instalment lands in month one. For a precise schedule against a specific loan size and bank rate, work it through with the loan and financing guide and confirm your borrowing capacity with an In Principle Approval before the preview.

Why this suits an upgrader holding two homes

The primary buyer for Lentor Gardens Residences is a north side HDB upgrader, someone in Ang Mo Kio, Bishan, Yishun or Sengkang stepping into a first private home without leaving familiar ground. For that buyer, the staged schedule is not a technicality, it is the thing that makes the whole move workable.

Picture the timeline. You book in 2026 while still living in and paying off your HDB flat. Your CPF and savings cover the 20% you fund directly. Through 2027 and 2028 the new home is being built, your loan draws down slowly, and your instalment on the new property stays light. That multi year window is exactly the runway you need to sell the existing flat at the right time, not under pressure, recover your CPF and the accrued interest you owe it, and free up the cash before the full Lentor Gardens Residences instalment arrives at TOP around Q1 2029. The deferral built into progressive payment buys you time to sequence the two transactions instead of being forced into a fire sale.

That sequencing is where most upgrade plans succeed or fail. The CPF accrued interest refund in particular catches people out, because the cash you walk away with from the flat sale is smaller than the headline price suggests. The CPF usage guide and the north side upgrader guide go through how to plan the refund and the bridging gap so the runway actually works in your favour.

What progressive payment does not solve

It would be dishonest to present this as a free lunch. Three things still need your attention before you treat the staged schedule as a green light.

• The upfront cash is still real. The 5% booking fee must be cash, and the next 15% within roughly 8 weeks. On the illustrative 3 bedroom that is around S$92,000 in cash up front and roughly S$460,000 for the full 25% downpayment, before stamp duty. Progressive payment defers the loan portion, not the downpayment.
• Stamp duty lands early. Buyer's Stamp Duty, and ABSD if this is a second property, is due shortly after exercising the Option, not at TOP. That is a large, near term cash item that sits outside the construction schedule entirely. See the stamp duty guide.
• You carry two commitments during the overlap. Even with light early instalments, you are servicing your existing home and the new one at once until the flat is sold. The schedule eases this, it does not erase it. Stress test your cash flow for the full overlap period.

There is also a common question about whether a Deferred Payment Scheme, which pushes most of the payment to completion, is available here. For a standard new launch under construction, the Progressive Payment Scheme is what applies. Any deferred arrangement depends entirely on what, if anything, the developer formally offers at launch, and should never be assumed until it is confirmed in writing on 4 July.

How it fits the wider affordability picture

Progressive payment is one input into the real question, which is whether the purchase fits your income, CPF and timeline as a whole. The staged schedule tells you when money leaves; affordability tells you whether you have it. The two need to be read together. A buyer can be comfortable in the light early years and still be stretched when the full instalment and the completed loan arrive at TOP, so the honest test is the end state, not the gentle start.

That is the work I do with clients before a launch: map the stage payments against your actual cash and CPF position, layer in the stamp duty and the HDB sale proceeds net of accrued interest, and check that the eventual full instalment sits inside your TDSR with comfortable headroom. The affordability guide sets out the income, loan and cash needed, and the broader Lentor Gardens Residences review puts the financing inside the full investment case.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Progressive Payment Scheme at Lentor Gardens Residences?

The Progressive Payment Scheme is the default way you pay for a new launch bought before completion, like Lentor Gardens Residences with its estimated Q1 2029 TOP. Instead of paying everything upfront, you pay in stages tied to construction milestones, starting with a 5% booking fee and the rest of a 25% downpayment, then drawing your loan progressively as the foundation, structure, walls, roofing and final fittings are built and certified by the architect.

How much cash do I need upfront for Lentor Gardens Residences?

At the point of booking you pay a 5% booking fee, which must be in cash. Within about 8 weeks you top up to a 25% downpayment, of which 20% can come from CPF Ordinary Account or cash. On an analyst estimated 3 bedroom quantum near S$1.84m (estimate, made before the 4 July 2026 price list came out), 5% is roughly S$92,000 and the full 25% downpayment is roughly S$460,000, before stamp duty. These are illustrative figures, not developer prices.

When do my monthly loan repayments start under progressive payment?

Your loan is only drawn down in stages as the developer completes each construction milestone, so you only pay interest on the portion disbursed so far. Early in the build the drawdown is small, so monthly instalments are modest, then rise as more of the loan is released. Full instalments on the entire loan only begin once the project reaches its Temporary Occupation Permit, estimated around Q1 2029 for Lentor Gardens Residences.

Why does progressive payment help HDB upgraders?

Because the heavy loan servicing is deferred until close to completion, an upgrader who still holds an existing HDB flat does not face full mortgage payments on the new home from day one. That gives a multi year runway to sell the flat, recover CPF and accrued interest, and free up cash before the Lentor Gardens Residences instalments ramp up at TOP, which is estimated around Q1 2029.

Is there a Deferred Payment Scheme for Lentor Gardens Residences?

The Progressive Payment Scheme is the standard scheme for a new launch under construction and is what applies here. A Deferred Payment Scheme, where most payment is pushed to completion, is not generally available on standard new launches and depends on whatever the developer formally offers at the 4 July 2026 preview. Do not assume any deferred terms until they are confirmed in writing by the developer.

Does progressive payment change the total price I pay?

The purchase price itself does not change. What changes is the timing of your outflow and your total interest. Because the loan draws down slowly, you pay less interest in the early years than you would on a fully disbursed loan, which is a genuine cash flow benefit. The headline price, stamp duty and the eventual full loan are unchanged; only the schedule of payments differs.

Winfred Quek is a salesperson of Crestbrick Pte Ltd (CEA Licence No. L31010886H), advising Singapore upgraders, investors, and families. CEA R073319H. The information on this page is general and does not constitute financial, investment, or mortgage advice. All figures, especially pre launch pricing, are estimates for general information only. Verify all project details, dates and pricing directly with the developer, and all transaction data with URA, before making any purchasing decision.