Short answer
This glossary defines the terms used in Singapore property: stamp duties, loan limits, housing schemes and approvals, with links to full guides.
- ABSD
- Additional Buyer's Stamp Duty. Extra stamp duty on residential purchases that depends on residency and homes owned.
- BSD
- Buyer's Stamp Duty. A tiered tax paid by all buyers of property.
- SSD
- Seller's Stamp Duty. Paid by sellers who sell within a set period after buying.
- TDSR
- Total Debt Servicing Ratio. Caps all monthly debt repayments at 55% of gross monthly income.
- MSR
- Mortgage Servicing Ratio. Caps mortgage repayments at 30% of income for HDB flats and ECs.
- LTV
- Loan-to-Value. The percentage of the property price or value a lender will finance.
- MOP
- Minimum Occupation Period. The time you must live in an HDB flat or EC before selling or renting out whole.
- EC
- Executive Condominium. A public-private housing type sold by developers to eligible households.
- BTO
- Build-To-Order. HDB flats sold directly by HDB and built after demand is confirmed.
- HFE
- HDB Flat Eligibility letter. Confirms eligibility, loan and grants for an HDB or EC purchase.
- TOP
- Temporary Occupation Permit. Issued when a building is safe to occupy, before final legal completion.
- CSC
- Certificate of Statutory Completion. Issued after all works and defects are certified complete.
- OTP
- Option to Purchase. A contract that gives a buyer the right to buy at an agreed price within a set period.
- S&P
- Sale and Purchase Agreement. The binding contract for a new launch or completed purchase.
- DPS
- Deferred Payment Scheme. Let EC buyers defer most payments until TOP. Removed for EC sites tendered from 8 May 2026.
- PPS
- Progressive Payment Scheme. Payments made in stages as construction milestones are completed.
- GLS
- Government Land Sales. The programme through which the Government releases state land for development.
- CCR
- Core Central Region. Prime districts in central Singapore.
- RCR
- Rest of Central Region. City-fringe districts.
- OCR
- Outside Central Region. Suburban districts.
- PSF
- Price per square foot. Used to compare property prices.
- PSF PPR
- Price per square foot per plot ratio. A measure of land price in tenders.
- Plot ratio
- The ratio of total floor area allowed to the site area.
- COV
- Cash-Over-Valuation. The cash a buyer pays above the valuation of a resale HDB flat.
- CPF OA
- CPF Ordinary Account. Savings that can be used for housing.
- Accrued interest
- Interest that CPF used for housing would have earned, repaid to your CPF account on sale.
- SORA
- Singapore Overnight Rate Average. A benchmark rate for floating-rate home loans.
- Freehold
- Ownership of land indefinitely.
- Leasehold
- Ownership of land for a fixed term, such as 99 years.
- Strata title
- Ownership of a unit in a building where common property is shared.
- Bounced unit
- A unit returned to inventory after a buyer drops out of a purchase.
- Resale levy
- A levy that some second-time buyers pay when they buy another subsidised flat from HDB, or an EC from a developer, after earlier receiving a housing subsidy.
- Cooling measures
- Government policies, such as stamp duties and loan limits, intended to moderate property demand.
- URA
- Urban Redevelopment Authority. Singapore's national land use planner and private property data source.
- HDB
- Housing & Development Board. Singapore's public housing authority.
- SLA
- Singapore Land Authority. Manages state land and approves some foreign property purchases.
- IRAS
- Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore. Collects stamp duty and property tax.
- CEA
- Council for Estate Agencies. Regulates property agents.
- En bloc
- The collective sale of an entire development to a developer.
- Valuation Limit
- The cap on property value used to calculate CPF usage for private property.
- Withdrawal Limit
- The cap on total CPF that can be used for a private property purchase.