When does an HDB sale become public?

You spot a new resale price for your block. Does that mean the buyer has collected the keys and HDB published the sale the next day? No. HDB’s public resale data is based on registration. A record can appear before completion.

The official dataset uses the registration date from March 2012 onwards. Earlier records use the resale approval date. For current records, the month shown is the registration month, not the OTP date or the completion month. See the HDB dataset definition.

1. Seller grants the Option to Purchase (OTP). The buyer has an option period of 21 calendar days to exercise it. The agreed resale price is already written into the OTP. HDB’s OTP guide explains this stage.
2. Both parties submit their resale applications. They follow the submission timeframe agreed in the OTP. Once one party submits, the other must submit within seven calendar days.
3. HDB checks and accepts the application. Submission alone is not acceptance. Public prices are based on registered resale applications; the record is not a completion certificate.
4. Approval and completion follow. HDB says completion takes about eight weeks from acceptance. Documents must be endorsed and fees paid before approval; both parties may agree to a later completion date.

Source: HDB’s resale application process. The eight-week clock starts at acceptance, not when the OTP is granted or exercised.

There is no fixed number of weeks from agreeing on price to seeing it online. Application timing and publication timing both matter. The record alone cannot tell you an exact key-collection date.

HDB’s Check Resale Flat Prices service updates daily. Its official help page says entries are based on registered resale applications. Daily updates do not promise that every individual deal will appear the next day, or that it has completed.

The data.gov.sg dataset has its own refresh timestamp. Check the current dataset page for its latest update and coverage. A month field describes the transaction period; it does not establish a monthly publication schedule. A single update timestamp also cannot establish a fixed release cadence.

Yes. HDB lists insufficient funds, incorrect information, eligibility issues and an aborted transaction among the reasons an application can be cancelled. Registration is not a guarantee of completion. See HDB’s cancellation guidance.

Under HDB’s resale terms, cancellation after acceptance requires written confirmation from both parties, although HDB retains its own cancellation powers. Cancellation does not remove either party’s contractual rights. It is not simply a matter of choosing to forfeit the option fee. See section 17 of HDB’s resale terms.

These sources do not establish how often registered sales fail to complete or how each cancellation is reflected in the public dataset. We therefore do not treat a price record as proof of a completed sale.

The dataset includes town, block, street, flat type, storey range, floor area, flat model, lease commencement, remaining lease and resale price. It gives a storey band, not an exact unit number, and a month, not an exact transaction day. See the published data columns.

HDB describes prices as indicative because each agreed price depends on multiple factors. It also excludes transactions that may not reflect full market prices, such as transfers between relatives or sales of part shares. That caveat is about interpreting prices, not a stated cancellation rate.

Use the records to compare similar flats and understand recent pricing. Start with your HDB town and block, then compare flat type, size, storey band and remaining lease. Read the month as registration timing, and avoid assuming an alert describes a deal negotiated today.