Summary
Owners of older condominiums in Singapore will need less support to sell their estate collectively. Law Minister Edwin Tong moved the Second Reading of the Land Titles (Strata) (Amendment) Bill 2026 in Parliament on 8 Sep 2026. It cuts the en bloc consent threshold from 80% to 70% for developments aged 40 to 59 years, and to 65% for those aged 60 or more, according to the Ministry of Law (MinLaw). Thresholds stay at 90% for developments under 10 years old and 80% for those aged 10 to 39.
The new rules are not in force yet. They start on a date the Minister will notify in the Government Gazette, and MinLaw has said the commencement date "will be announced, when ready". The same law also makes a sale harder to start and shortens the time to collect signatures.
What this means for Singapore condo owners
What changes under the 2026 collective sale rules
| Rule | Current | After commencement |
|---|---|---|
| Consent, under 10 years | 90% | 90% |
| Consent, 10 to 39 years | 80% | 80% |
| Consent, 40 to 59 years | 80% | 70% |
| Consent, 60 years and above | 80% | 65% |
| Support needed to call a meeting to form a collective sale committee (CSC) | 20% of share value or 25% of units | 35% of share value or units |
| Time to collect signatures, counted from the first | 12 months | 6 months |
| Restriction period after a failed attempt | 2 years | 3 years |
| Cap on a court-ordered extra payment to an objector | 0.25% of the unit's sale proceeds | 0.5%, or S$2,000 if higher |
Sources: MinLaw release (4 Aug 2026) and Second Reading speech (8 Sep 2026).
MinLaw said the current thresholds date from 1999.
How many estates fall into the new bands
About one in 20 non-landed private homes is now at least 40 years old: around 20,000 units in close to 250 developments, Mr Tong told Parliament.
The Bill also lets private residential developments that are not strata-titled, where flat owners hold leases but do not own the land, be sold collectively under the same age-based thresholds, he said.
Why the threshold is falling now
Older blocks cost more to keep up. Law Minister Edwin Tong told Parliament that lift modernisation starts from S$120,000 per lift and full replacement costs S$200,000 to S$300,000, and that maintenance fees and sinking fund contributions may rise by up to 50% as developments age. "It cannot be right that a 10-year-old development and a 44-year-old development continue to face the same threshold," he said.
Developers also get more time on large sites. They pay 40% Additional Buyer's Stamp Duty (ABSD) on residential land, with 35 percentage points remitted upfront and clawed back with interest if they miss set deadlines. The Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of National Development have extended those deadlines for en bloc sites bought from 29 Jul 2026 that will yield at least 1.5 times the existing number of homes. Projects of 700 to 1,399 units now have six years, up from 5.5, to complete and sell every unit. Projects of 1,400 units or more have seven years, with at least half sold by the end of year six.
What a lower threshold does not change
Owners who do not sign keep their safeguards. A Strata Titles Board or the High Court must approve the sale and be satisfied it was made in good faith, and a sale cannot proceed if an objector would suffer a financial loss or could not redeem the mortgage on the unit, MinLaw said.
A lower threshold does not by itself mean a development will be sold: a sale still needs a buyer and the approvals above.
Illustration: a 300-unit estate aged 45
Illustration only, assuming every unit has the same share value and strata area. Under the current rules, a sale needs 240 owners (80%). After commencement it needs 210 (70%). Calling the meeting to form a CSC would take 105 owners (35%), against 60 today on the 20% share-value test. For an objector whose share of the proceeds is S$1.8 million, the most a court can add rises from S$4,500 to S$9,000.
Transitional rules
Most changes apply where no owner has signed the collective sale agreement by the commencement date. Where signing has started in a development aged 40 or more, owners can vote to end the agreement and restart under the new rules, with seven months from commencement to reach the threshold, MinLaw said.
FAQ
When do the new en bloc thresholds take effect? On a date to be notified in the Government Gazette. MinLaw has not announced it yet.
Can an owner who does not want to sell still object? Yes. Objectors can be heard by the Strata Titles Board and then the High Court, and a sale cannot proceed if they would suffer a financial loss.
Education only — not tax, legal or investment advice. Confirm with a licensed professional.
What to do next
- Ask your management corporation for the TOP and Certificate of Statutory Completion dates of each block to see which threshold would apply.
- If a CSC is forming, ask for the reserve price and apportionment method before you sign, as the six-month window leaves less time later.
- Buying into an older estate? Value it on condition, remaining lease and rent, not on a possible en bloc premium: https://proprkey.com/en/properties?segment=buyer&mode=buy
- Compare older resale homes with current launches: https://proprkey.com/en/new-developments
- Speak to a verified conveyancing lawyer or valuer before signing a collective sale agreement: https://proprkey.com/en/pros?segment=legalFinance