Singapore Property Basics
Singapore property has its own vocabulary and its own rules: leasehold and freehold, HDB and private, condo and apartment, and a buying process that depends on who you are. These guides explain the basics in plain language, from what the common terms mean to what homes cost and how a purchase works.
Who this is for: First-time buyers, newcomers to Singapore and anyone who wants the basics before the detail.
Property Basics Guides
Every PropKaki guide on property basics, newest first.
Shoebox and Micro Units in Singapore: How Small a Condo Can Be, What They Cost and Why New Ones Are Rarer
1,671 of the 20,556 condo and apartment units sold from September 2025 to August 2026 were 50 sqm or less of strata area. Among new sales their share went from 22.7% in 2019 to 9.9% in 2025. Here is how small a home can be, how URA limits them, and what they sell and rent for.
Property Cooling Measures in Singapore Explained: What Applies in 2026 and the Rounds Since 2010
Counting the rounds MAS, IRAS and HDB date, Singapore has tightened its cooling measures 15 times since 2010 and eased them 3 times, most recently by removing HDB's 15-month wait-out in July 2026. Here is what is in force, each round, and what the price indices did around them.
Dual-Key Units in Singapore: How They Work, the Rules for Letting One Side, and HDB's Old Multi-Gen Flats
No URA, HDB or IRAS rule we found defines a dual-key unit, and a private home's letting rules apply to the whole property: one occupancy cap, no stays under three months. HDB's closest match is its 367 multi-generation flats from the 1980s, one reported with a dual-key layout, resold at a median $1,120,000 in 2024-09 to 2026-08.
Stigmatised Properties in Singapore: What Counts, and What CEA's Rules Say Must Be Disclosed If You Ask
In Singapore, whoever markets a home for the seller has to find out and pass on a recent death from unnatural causes when you ask, and may never mislead you. Here is what CEA's rules say, what else counts as material information, and how to ask the question.
Property Portals in Singapore: What PropertyGuru, 99.co and EdgeProp Show, and What to Check Elsewhere
On 26 September 2026, 29.0% of listings benchmarked like for like asked 8% or more above recent sales of comparable homes in the same project or block. Here is what PropertyGuru, 99.co and EdgeProp are good for, and where to check the facts a listing can't give you.
Shophouses in Singapore Explained: What They Are, Who Can Buy One and What They Sell For
A single land-titled shophouse sold for a median $5,550,000 from 2021 to 2025, and 89 shophouse sales in 2025 were caveated. Here is what a shophouse is, why its zoning decides its tax, and who can buy one.
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Property Basics — Frequently Asked
What does Property Basics cover?
Singapore property has its own vocabulary and its own rules: leasehold and freehold, HDB and private, condo and apartment, and a buying process that depends on who you are. These guides explain the basics in plain language, from what the common terms mean to what homes cost and how a purchase works.
Who are these Property Basics guides for?
First-time buyers, newcomers to Singapore and anyone who wants the basics before the detail.
How many PropKaki guides cover Property Basics?
PropKaki publishes 15 guides on property basics, most recently updated 25 September 2026. Every guide is built on real URA, HDB and data.gov.sg data, with the working shown.
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