Singapore citizen households enjoy a housing subsidy when they
buy a new flat from HDB or a resale flat in
the open market applied with CPF Housing
Grant. Each eligible family can purchase up to a maximum of 2
subsidised flats, in other words, enjoy 2 housing subsidies.
The resale levy is meant to reduce the subsidy on the 2nd
subsidised flat so as to maintain a fair allocation of public
housing subsidies between 1st and 2nd-timer citizen families. This
is also to give priority to 1st-timers who have more urgent housing
needs.
Flat owners who do not buy a 2nd subsidised flat from
HDB need not pay the resale levy.
A second-timer purchaser refers to a Singapore citizen household
that has previously enjoyed the first housing subsidy when they
bought a:
New flat from HDB, or
Resale flat with housing grant
A flat is considered subsidised, if you have bought it:
Directly from HDB, or
From the open market with a CPF Housing
Grant
