The HDB Resale Portal is the single online system, reached through the HDB Flat Portal with your Singpass, where a resale flat actually changes hands. You do not visit an HDB branch to buy or sell. Everything runs through the portal: the buyer's HFE letter, the seller's Intent to Sell, the Option to Purchase, the Request for Value, the joint resale application, and the document endorsements that lead to completion. Each stage has its own fee and its own clock, and missing one window can cost you weeks. This guide walks the whole thing in order for 2026, with every charge verified against HDB so you know what leaves your account and when.
Two names get used loosely. The HDB Flat Portal is the front door at hdb.gov.sg where you log in with Singpass. Inside it sits the resale workflow, which most people call the HDB Resale Portal, plus a personal dashboard HDB calls My Flat Dashboard that tracks where your transaction stands. For practical purposes you treat them as one system.
The portal replaced the old branch-based process. A buyer no longer queues at an HDB office to lodge a valuation request, and a seller no longer files paper resale documents. Both parties act online, HDB processes in the background, and the only physical appointment left is the completion session at HDB Hub where keys and balance funds move.
It also handles the listing side. Sellers who go agent-free can publish their flat on the Resale Flat Listing service inside the portal, and buyers can browse verified listings there, knowing each seller has already registered an Intent to Sell. If you want to see what flats nearby have actually sold for before you list or offer, HDB's cash-over-valuation gap starts to make sense once you compare asking prices against recorded transactions.
Neither buyer nor seller can move without their entry document, and both are free.
Buyers apply for the HDB Flat Eligibility (HFE) letter. It confirms in one document whether you can buy a resale flat, which CPF housing grants you qualify for, and the maximum HDB loan you can take. Since November 2023 it has been valid for nine months, and you must hold a valid HFE letter at the moment you receive an Option to Purchase and again when you submit the resale application. Applications can take up to a few weeks because HDB verifies income and household details, so start early. Our HFE letter guide breaks down what HDB checks.
Sellers register an Intent to Sell in the portal. It is mandatory, it is free, and it confirms you have met your Minimum Occupation Period. Registering also triggers a rule that catches people out: you cannot grant an Option to Purchase until seven calendar days have passed. The Intent to Sell stays valid for 12 months, and it must still be valid when you lodge the resale application.
Once a buyer is HFE-cleared and a price is agreed, the seller grants the Option to Purchase. This is the first point real money moves, and the rules on it are fixed by HDB rather than negotiable folklore.
The buyer pays an option fee of between $1 and $1,000. Market practice in 2026 sits at the $1,000 ceiling for resale flats. Within 21 calendar days the buyer decides whether to exercise. To exercise, the buyer pays a further sum, the option exercise fee, but here is the cap that matters: the option fee and the exercise fee added together cannot exceed $5,000. So if you paid $1,000 to take the option, the most you pay to exercise is $4,000.
During those 21 days the seller is locked in and cannot accept another offer. If the buyer walks away, the option lapses and the option fee is forfeited to the seller. This window is short, which is why the next step has to happen almost immediately.
This one trips up DIY buyers more than any other. After receiving the OTP, the buyer (or the buyer's agent) must submit a Request for Value to HDB by the next working day after the option date. You do this through My Flat Dashboard, uploading a scan of page 1 of the OTP.
The fee is $120, including GST, and it is non-refundable once submitted. HDB's appointed valuer then assesses the flat, and the outcome usually lands in your dashboard within about 10 working days. That valuation figure is what determines how much CPF you can use and how large a loan you can draw. If the agreed price sits above the valuation, the difference is cash-over-valuation, which is paid in cash and cannot be covered by a loan or CPF.
The valuation outcome stays valid for three months. Miss the next-working-day deadline and you may have to re-grant the OTP, so the Request for Value is genuinely the most time-sensitive click in the whole process.
Here is what each party pays through or around the portal, separate from the flat price itself. Figures are current as of June 2026 and verified against HDB; legal fees vary by transaction and are estimate ranges.
| Item | Who pays | Amount (2026) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| HFE letter | Buyer | Free | Valid 9 months |
| Intent to Sell | Seller | Free | Valid 12 months; 7-day wait before OTP |
| Option fee | Buyer to seller | $1 to $1,000 | $1,000 is market practice |
| Option exercise fee | Buyer to seller | Up to $4,000 | Option + exercise capped at $5,000 total |
| Request for Value | Buyer | $120 (incl GST) | Due next working day after OTP; non-refundable |
| Resale application admin fee | Each party | $40 or $80 | $40 for 1- to 2-room, $80 for 3-room and larger |
| HDB conveyancing legal fees | Each party | From around $1,200 | If you use HDB's solicitor; private firms differ |
| Buyer's Stamp Duty | Buyer | From 1% of price/value | Paid to IRAS within 14 days of exercising OTP |
| Resale levy | Repeat subsidised buyer | $15,000 to $50,000 | First-timers exempt; varies by flat type |
After the OTP is exercised, both sides file the resale application in the portal. The buyer and seller each submit their own half, and the two halves must arrive within seven days of each other or the application will not pair up. Each party pays the administrative fee at this point: $40 for 1- and 2-room flats, $80 for 3-room and larger.
HDB then runs its checks behind the scenes. It confirms the seller's MOP, validates the OTP details and sale price against the valuation, verifies the buyer's eligibility and financing, and cross-checks for Additional Buyer's Stamp Duty exposure if the buyer owns other residential property. Mismatched dates, an expired HFE letter, or missing documents are the usual reasons an application stalls.
Once HDB accepts the application, both parties get an SMS to log back in and endorse documents, typically within about six days. HDB's approval then follows, and completion is scheduled roughly eight weeks from the date HDB accepts the application. If you are weighing whether resale even fits your budget against a new flat, the BTO vs resale comparison lays out the real trade-offs.
People quote eight weeks; the honest end-to-end number for most transactions is longer once you count the lead-up. Here is a workable map.
Stamp duty is the easy thing to forget in the rush. Buyer's Stamp Duty is paid to IRAS within 14 days of exercising the OTP, well before completion, so budget the cash for it early. You can size it with our stamp duty calculator before you commit to a price.
| Stage | Typical time | Runs through |
|---|---|---|
| Apply for HFE letter (buyer) | Up to a few weeks | HDB Flat Portal |
| Register Intent to Sell + 7-day wait (seller) | 1 to 2 weeks | HDB Flat Portal |
| Grant OTP, submit Request for Value | 1 day for RfV deadline | OTP doc + My Flat Dashboard |
| Valuation outcome returned | About 10 working days | My Flat Dashboard |
| Exercise OTP, both file resale application | Within 21-day OTP window | HDB Resale Portal |
| Endorse documents after SMS | About 6 days | HDB Resale Portal |
| HDB approval to completion | About 8 weeks | HDB processing + HDB Hub |
The portal is built so you can transact agent-free, and a growing number of buyers and sellers do. Going solo saves the commission, which for sellers commonly runs around 1% to 2% of the sale price plus 9% GST, and there is no fixed buyer-side commission in a resale unless you appoint your own representative.
The catch is discipline. The Request for Value deadline, the seven-day pairing rule on applications, and the document-endorsement window all become your responsibility instead of an agent's. You still need a conveyancing solicitor for OTP and completion, and using HDB's appointed solicitor keeps that cost predictable from around $1,200 per party rather than negotiating with a private firm. Before you decide, the numbers matter more than the convenience: run your full purchase budget through our home affordability calculator so you know the cash and CPF you actually have to work with.
Logging in and registering your Intent to Sell or HFE letter is free. The transaction itself carries fees: a $120 Request for Value, a $40 or $80 resale application admin fee per party, conveyancing legal fees, and stamp duty. The portal access is free; the steps inside it are not.
No. The portal is designed for direct transactions, including listing your flat on the Resale Flat Listing service. You still need a conveyancing solicitor for the OTP and completion, but you can skip an agent and save the commission if you are comfortable managing the deadlines yourself.
Completion is roughly eight weeks from the date HDB accepts the resale application. Counting the HFE letter, the Intent to Sell seven-day wait, the OTP period, and valuation, most buyers and sellers should plan for around three to four months end to end in 2026.
The Request for Value. Buyers must submit it through My Flat Dashboard by the next working day after the option date, with a scan of page 1 of the OTP and a $120 non-refundable fee. Miss it and you may have to re-grant the Option to Purchase, losing the original timeline.
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.