Singapore legislation
Section 21
Section 21
Limitation of actions to recover money secured by mortgage or charge or to recover proceeds of sale of land
(1)
No action shall be brought to recover any principal sum of money secured by a mortgage or other charge on land or personal property or to enforce such mortgage or charge, or to recover proceeds of the sale of land or personal property after the expiration of 12 years from the date when the right to receive the money accrued.
(2)
No foreclosure action in respect of mortgaged personal property shall be brought after the expiration of 12 years from the date on which the right to foreclose accrued.
(3)
If, after the date referred to in subsection (1), the mortgagee was in possession of the mortgaged property, the right to foreclose on the property which was in his possession shall not, for the purposes of that subsection, be deemed to have accrued until the date on which his possession discontinued.
(4)
The right to receive any principal sum of money secured by a mortgage or other charge and the right to foreclose on the property subject to the mortgage or charge shall not be deemed to accrue so long as that property comprises any future interests or any life insurance policy which has not matured or been determined.
(5)
Nothing in subsections (1) to (4) shall apply to a foreclosure action in respect of mortgaged land but the provisions of this Act relating to actions to recover land shall apply to such an action.
(6)
No action to recover arrears of interest payable in respect of any sum of money secured by a mortgage or other charge or payable in respect of proceeds of the sale of land or to recover damages in respect of such arrears shall be brought after the expiration of 6 years from the date on which the interest became due.
(7)
Notwithstanding subsection (6) —
where a prior mortgagee or other incumbrancer has been in possession of the property mortgaged or charged, and an action is brought within one year of the discontinuance of such possession by the subsequent incumbrancer, he may recover by that action all the arrears of interest which fell due during the period of possession by the prior incumbrancer or damages in respect thereof, notwithstanding that the period exceeded 6 years;
where the property subject to the mortgage or charge comprises any future interest or life insurance policy and it is a term of the mortgage or charge that arrears of interest shall be treated as part of the principal sum of money secured by the mortgage or charge, interest shall not be deemed to become due before the right to receive the principal sum of money has accrued or is deemed to have accrued.
(8)
This section shall not apply to any mortgage or charge on a ship.