HDB key collection is the appointment where you pay the last of your purchase costs and walk out with the keys to your flat. Most buyers focus on the deposit and the loan and forget that key collection has its own bill: a survey fee from about $164 to $409 depending on flat type, legal and conveyancing fees, stamp duty on the mortgage, and a five-year fire insurance premium that is almost nothing. The bigger money is the balance purchase price, which must be settled in full before you collect. This guide lays out every payment, the exact documents to bring, and the one deadline after collection that buyers regret missing.
Key collection is the final step of buying a new flat. HDB notifies you by email and SMS up to two weeks before the date, and you log in to the HDB Flat Portal (the old My HDBPage) to view your appointment letter and the financial worksheet that lists what you owe. The appointment itself is held in person at HDB Hub, Lorong 6 Toa Payoh, and every applicant named on the flat must attend.
At the counter, an officer verifies your identity, confirms the flat address, finalises your loan, takes the outstanding payments, and hands over the keys. The whole thing usually takes under an hour once you are seated. The work that makes or breaks the day happens beforehand: clearing the balance purchase price, buying fire insurance, and getting your CPF and Singpass ready.
If you bought under the Fiance/Fiancee Scheme, your marriage must be registered before you collect, and you bring the original marriage certificate. If an applicant genuinely cannot attend, HDB accepts a Power of Attorney with certified copies, but that is the exception, not the default.
The checklist is short, but a single missing document can force a reschedule. Print or save your appointment letter from the portal, and bring the following for every applicant and occupier listed on the flat:
The fees below are the ones settled at or just before collection. The survey fee, the registration fees and the stamp duty on the mortgage are small and fixed; the balance purchase price is the large number, and it has to be cleared in full first, whether from CPF, the bank or HDB loan disbursement. Figures are from HDB and CPF Board as of June 2026 and may be revised, so treat them as a working budget and check your own financial worksheet.
Use the BTO affordability calculator to sanity-check the total against your savings before the appointment, and the stamp duty calculator for the duty on your purchase price.
| Fee | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Survey fee (incl. GST) | $163.50 (2-room) to $408.75 (Executive) | Based on flat type: ~$231.60 for 3-room, ~$299.75 for 4-room, ~$354.25 for 5-room |
| HDB conveyancing / legal fee | Tiered from $0.90 per $1,000 | If you use HDB's solicitors; a private lawyer typically charges $1,300 to $2,500 |
| Lease In-Escrow registration | $38.30 | Fixed registration fee |
| Mortgage In-Escrow registration | $38.30 | Fixed, applies if you have a mortgage |
| Stamp duty on mortgage (Deed of Assignment) | 0.4% of the loan, capped at $500 | Payable on the loan amount, not the flat price |
| HDB Fire Insurance (5-year) | About $1.50 to $7.50 | Mandatory only if you take an HDB loan; via Etiqa |
| Balance purchase price | Your flat price less booking fee, deposit and grants | Must be settled in full before collection, from CPF / cash / loan |
Buyer's Stamp Duty (BSD) on the flat itself is a separate, larger payment and is generally settled earlier in the buying process, not at the key collection counter. It is worth knowing the rates because it is the biggest tax on the purchase. For a new flat, BSD applies on the purchase price using the tiered residential rates.
The first $180,000 of the price is charged at 1%, the next $180,000 at 2%, the next $640,000 at 3%, and anything above $1,000,000 at 4%. A $500,000 flat works out to $9,600 in BSD. See our BSD glossary entry for the full tier table and worked examples. The only stamp duty that surfaces at collection is the small mortgage duty of 0.4% of the loan, capped at $500.
If you take an HDB housing loan, HDB Fire Insurance is compulsory and you must have the certificate before key collection. Etiqa is HDB's appointed insurer. The premium is almost trivial: the five-year policy runs from roughly $1.50 for a 1-room up to about $7.50 for an Executive or multi-generation flat, with a 4-room around $5.50 and a 5-room around $6.60 (figures from Etiqa's HDB scheme, as of June 2026). The policy is renewed once every five years.
Read the cover before you assume you are protected. HDB Fire Insurance covers the building structure and the fixtures and fittings originally provided by HDB. It does not cover your renovations, furniture, electronics or personal belongings. For that you need separate home contents insurance, which is a different product and worth budgeting for once you move in. If you take a bank loan instead of an HDB loan, HDB Fire Insurance is not mandatory, but the building cover is still cheap enough that most owners keep it.
Key collection starts two clocks. Missing either one costs money or rights, and both are easy to forget in the rush to start renovating.
From the date you collect the keys, you have a one-year Defects Liability Period. HDB rectifies genuine building defects free of charge during this window. The catch is timing: you should inspect the flat and report defects before renovation begins, because once your contractor starts hacking and tiling, it becomes hard to prove a crack or a leak was HDB's fault rather than the renovation's.
Do a careful joint inspection on day one. Walk every room with painter's tape, a phone camera and a spirit level, mark hollow tiles, uneven floors, door alignment and water stains, then submit the list through the QR code in your Welcome Kit or to the Building Service Centre. Rectification typically takes under two weeks.
If you already own an HDB flat, you must sell or transfer it within six months of collecting the keys to your new flat. If you rent an HDB flat, you must return it within four months of the purchase. Plan the timeline before you collect, because holding two homes while waiting to sell can strain cash flow, and second-timers also pay a resale levy that must be settled before collection.
Once you have the keys, activate your SP utilities account at least one working day before so you have power and water for renovation, then set up Town Council service and conservancy charges, which run roughly $21 to $123 a month depending on flat type and town. Submit your renovation permit through your HDB-licensed contractor; standard works are usually approved in a few working days.
Renovation itself is the next big spend. A mid-range 4-room BTO renovation costs roughly $35,000 to $65,000 in 2026, and the HDB-linked renovation loan caps at $30,000. Map the full cost with our renovation cost calculator and read the deeper breakdown in our HDB BTO renovation cost guide before you sign a contract. Keep your defect inspection done first, then let the contractor in.
The fees settled at collection are small: a survey fee of about $164 to $409 by flat type, two $38.30 registration fees, stamp duty of 0.4% of your loan capped at $500, and a five-year fire insurance premium of roughly $1.50 to $7.50. The large payment is the balance purchase price, which must be cleared in full beforehand from CPF, cash or loan.
Bring the NRIC of every applicant and occupier, your Singpass with two-factor authentication if paying by CPF, your HDB Fire Insurance certificate if you took an HDB loan, your original marriage certificate if you applied under the Fiance/Fiancee Scheme, and a NETS-enabled card for the survey fee. Print your appointment letter from the HDB Flat Portal too.
Yes. Every applicant named on the flat must attend the key collection appointment in person at HDB Hub in Toa Payoh. If an applicant genuinely cannot attend, HDB accepts a Power of Attorney with certified copies, but this is an exception that must be arranged in advance, not the default arrangement.
Inspect on the day you collect the keys, before any renovation begins. You have a one-year Defects Liability Period during which HDB fixes genuine building defects for free, but once renovation starts it becomes difficult to prove a fault was HDB's rather than your contractor's. Report defects through the QR code in your Welcome Kit.
This is general financial information for Singapore, not personal financial advice. Figures change — verify current rates against the official sources above before acting. See our full disclaimer.