In forceAmended2020 Revised Edition

Contents

Residential Property Act 1976 · 2020 Revised Edition · Part 4 · Miscellaneous

33. Savings

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Amended

Last amended by an amending law of 2021. 2 amendments in all.

Nothing in this Act —

(a)

affects any transfer of, or any written agreement to transfer, any estate or interest in —

(i)

any residential property made and stamped in accordance with the provisions of the Stamp Duties Act 1929 at any time before 11 September 1973; or

(ii)

any HUDC flat made and stamped in accordance with the provisions of the Stamp Duties Act 1929 before 31 May 1982, if the transfer or the agreement to transfer is not made in contravention of any covenant or condition contained in the instrument of lease issued by the Housing and Urban Development Company (Private) Limited in respect of the HUDC flat;

(b)

prohibits the mortgage, charge or reconveyance of any estate or interest in any residential property to a foreign person;

(c)

affects any transfer of any estate or interest in any residential property to a foreign person appointed to be an additional or new trustee of a trust existing on 11 September 1973;

(ca)

affects any transfer of any estate or interest in any residential property to a foreign company (which is also a trust company licensed under the Trust Companies Act 2005) to hold on trust for a citizen or an approved purchaser;

(cb)

affects any transfer of any estate or interest in any residential property to the Official Assignee;

(d)

prevents a foreign person from occupying residential property as a tenant thereof or from entering into any agreement, whether in writing or otherwise, with the landlord thereof for the occupation of residential property, or from acquiring any estate or interest under any agreement, lease or deed of assignment: Provided that in every such case no term in any such agreement, lease or deed of assignment may exceed a period of 7 years at any one time, inclusive of any further term which may be granted by way of an option for renewal;

(e)

prohibits the purchase or acquisition by a foreign person of any estate or interest in any residential property by way of tender or otherwise from the Urban Redevelopment Authority constituted under the Urban Redevelopment Authority Act 1989 or from any other person or body that is duly appointed as an agent of the Government in the sale of any estate or interest in any residential property;

(f)

prohibits the purchase or acquisition by any foreign person of an estate or interest in any residential property directly from —

(i)

the Housing and Development Board under Part 4 of the Housing and Development Act 1959 before or after 1 October 1982; or

(ii)

an approved developer under Part 4B of the Housing and Development Act 1959;

(g)

prevents the transfer to any foreign person of an estate or interest in any residential property sold under Part 4 or 4B of the Housing and Development Act 1959 in any case where —

(i)

the prior written consent of the Housing and Development Board has been obtained; and

(ii)

no instrument has been registered in respect of that residential property under section 126 of the Land Titles (Strata) Act 1967; or

(h)

applies to any direct purchase or acquisition on or after 11 September 1973 by any foreign person from the Government of any estate or interest in any residential property other than by a regrant of State title on or after that date to a foreign company upon the surrender of any estate or interest in residential property existing before that date.

Terms defined in s 2

approved purchaser
Defined · s 2
“approved purchaser” means —(a)a Singapore company;(b)a Singapore limited liability partnership;(c)a Singapore society;(d)a foreign person to whom approval has been granted under section 25, 30 or 31;(e)any person, company, limited liability partnership, society, association or other organisation or body who or which has been exempted by the Minister under section 32; or(f)any body, corporate or otherwise, declared by the Minister by notification in the Gazette to be a public authority or an instrumentality or agency of the Government;
Open s 2
Authority
Defined · s 2
“Authority” means the Singapore Land Authority established under the Singapore Land Authority Act 2001;
Open s 2
citizen
Defined · s 2
“citizen” or “citizen of Singapore” means any person who, under the provisions of the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore, has the status of a citizen of Singapore;
Open s 2
foreign company
Defined · s 2
“foreign company” means any company (whether a holding company or otherwise) other than a Singapore company;
Open s 2
foreign person
Defined · s 2
“foreign person” means any person who is not any of the following:(a)a citizen of Singapore;(b)a Singapore company;(c)a Singapore limited liability partnership;(d)a Singapore society;
Open s 2
HUDC flat
Defined · s 2
“HUDC flat” means —(a)any flat comprised in any of the subdivided buildings described in the First Schedule; or(b)any of the flats described in the Second Schedule,which has been sold by the Housing and Urban Development Company (Private) Limited, a company incorporated in Singapore, to any person at any time before 1 May 1982 for use as a dwelling place;
Open s 2
land
Defined · s 2
“land” has the meaning given by the Land Titles Act 1993;
Open s 2
mortgage
Defined · s 2
“mortgage” includes every instrument creating a mortgage or charge on land or a transfer of a mortgage or a sub‑mortgage;
Open s 2
residential property
Defined · s 2
“residential property” includes —(a)any vacant land upon which no building or other structure exists or any land upon which exists any building or other structure which is constructed or used contrary to any written law;(b)any house, building or other premises or any part thereof which is permitted to be used pursuant to the Planning Act 1998 or any other written law as a dwelling house or which is lawfully so used;(c)any land zoned for residential purposes in the Master Plan; and(d)such other land or building, in whatever manner zoned in the Master Plan, as the Minister may, by notification in the Gazette, declare to be residential property for the purposes of this Act,but does not include —(e)any land, whether or not vacant, which is zoned for industrial or commercial purposes or both such purposes in the Master Plan or which is permitted to be used pursuant to the Planning Act 1998 or any other written law solely for industrial or commercial purposes or both such purposes;(f)any house, building or other premises, or any part thereof, which is permitted to be used pursuant to the Planning Act 1998 or any other written law solely for industrial or commercial purposes or both such purposes or which is lawfully so used;(g)any hotel registered under the provisions of the Hotels Act 1954; and(h)such other land or building, in whatever manner zoned in the Master Plan, as the Minister may, by notification in the Gazette, declare to be industrial, commercial or non‑residential property for the purposes of this Act;
Open s 2
to transfer
Defined · s 2
“to transfer”, with reference to residential property, means to convey, sell, assign, settle, create by declaration of trust, assent or in any manner dispose of any estate or interest in residential property, and includes the vesting of any estate or interest in residential property, but does not include a transfer by way of mortgage, charge or reconveyance; and
Open s 2
transfer
Defined · s 2
“transfer” includes a conveyance, sale, assignment, settlement, declaration of trust, assent, disposition of whatever nature, the vesting of any estate or interest in residential property by an instrument or under a vesting order of court and every instrument capable of vesting any estate or interest in residential property upon registration of such instrument by the Registrar, but does not include a mortgage, charge or reconveyance.
Open s 2

Report

Read on from s 34

Schedules

Read on from Schedules

Details

Residential Property Act 1976 · s 33

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Judgments that cite this Act

20 in all

Claims in contract, trust and unjust enrichment were struck out as pleaded SummaryChang Yiuw Choon and others v Chong Yiuw Tham and another · [2026] SGHC 161
Convictions for buying restricted property for a foreigner stood; the jail term rose SummaryTan Hui Meng v Public Prosecutor and another appeal · [2025] SGHC 2
A co-owner ousted from the property was held entitled to rent he had to pay SummaryLee Say Yng v Lee Cheng Mui · [2025] SGHC 126

Where this comes from

Singapore Statutes Online · Residential Property Act 1976, 2020 Revised Edition. Reader record updated on 7 Oct 2026.

Singapore legislation is Government copyright, used with the permission of the Attorney-General’s Chambers. Check Singapore Statutes Online for the latest version.

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