Insights ยท 2026-12-03
The MOP wave: where flats become free to sell
About 13,756 HDB flats reach their 5-year minimum occupation period this year, and about 20,064 next year, by our count of flats in blocks completed in 2021 and 2022. Punggol leads with 3,222.
What the MOP is
HDB owners must live in a flat for 5 years before they can sell it on the open market or rent out the whole flat. When a large batch of flats reaches that point together, more owners are free to sell.
This year
The biggest batches are in Punggol (3,222 flats), Queenstown (2,409) and Tampines (2,133).
- Punggol: 3,222 flats
- Queenstown: 2,409 flats
- Tampines: 2,133 flats
- Toa Payoh: 1,594 flats
- Bedok: 1,440 flats
- Bukit Batok: 493 flats
Next year
Next year's wave is larger, led by Yishun (3,638), Tampines (2,691) and Punggol (2,672).
| Town | Flats completed 2021 | Flats completed 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| Punggol | 3,222 | 2,672 |
| Tampines | 2,133 | 2,691 |
| Yishun | 456 | 3,638 |
| Toa Payoh | 1,594 | 2,006 |
| Queenstown | 2,409 | 0 |
| Sengkang | 330 | 1,911 |
| Geylang | 319 | 1,815 |
| Bukit Batok | 493 | 1,397 |
| Bukit Panjang | 350 | 1,423 |
| Clementi | 0 | 1,511 |
| Bedok | 1,440 | 0 |
| Woodlands | 172 | 629 |
| Choa Chu Kang | 0 | 371 |
| Sembawang | 310 | 0 |
| Hougang | 285 | 0 |
| Kallang/whampoa | 243 | 0 |
What to watch
More flats eligible to sell can mean more choice for buyers in those towns, especially for newer flats with long leases. Whether owners actually sell depends on prices and their plans. We will track resales in these towns weekly.
Our estimate counts flats in blocks completed in each year (HDB property information). Actual MOP dates depend on key collection. Flats sold from October 2024 under the Plus and Prime models have a 10-year MOP.