What is MOP in HDB?
The Minimum Occupation Period (MOP), is the amount of time you must occupy an HDB apartment before reselling it. The MOP today is five years and it starts as soon as you take your keys from HDB. This implies that you cannot sell your HDB flats until you have occupied them for at least five years.
The MOP was first implemented in 1971 as a way to “minimize the use of HDB as an investment vehicle.” MOP for HDB apartments with subsidies was raised from 3 years to 5 years in 1973. (i.e. BTO flats). In 2010, this was expanded to include non-subsidised HDB apartments (such as those purchased on the secondary market).
Additional reading: Full list of HDB BTO projects hitting MOP in 2025 (and should you sell right after MOP?)
What are the key things I should know about MOP in HDB?
- MOP is extended if you rent out the entire flat for special reasons (or if you go abroad)
If you can’t live in your flat, you can request HDB’s approval to rent out the entire unit. However, this will extend the duration of your MOP.
For instance, if you move overseas for study or employment purposes during MOP and are given permission to rent out your whole apartment, your MOP will also be extended for two years.
Nevertheless, you can leave the flat empty without having to factor in the time as long as the period of vacancy is acceptable. This means you don’t have to worry about going on vacation.
- If applying for the Proximity Housing Grant (PHG) or Married Priority Scheme (MCPS), all parents and children must comply with the distance limit during the MOP.
The Proximity Housing Grant (PHG), which was introduced in 2015, encourages families to live together or close by.
Families are eligible for discounts of S$30,000 or S$20,000 when buying a resale flat if they live close to one another or within a 4-kilometre radius, respectively. Your parents would have to remain in the same area (within 4 km of your flat) for the length of your MOP if you bought a resale apartment close to their current apartment.
If they choose to sell their property, they must relocate within a 4-kilometre radius of your HDB apartment. This will ensure families live close to one another and for the grant’s goals to be met.
Similar to the PHG, the Married Child Priority Scheme (MCPS) enables newlywed couples to receive extra precedence for BTO flat allocations if they relocate within 4 kilometres of their parent’s home.
If you used the MCPS to apply for your BTO flat, your parents who helped you qualify for the programme must stay within 4 km of your new apartment for the length of your MOP.
- 3Gen Flat, unlike other HDB flats or Executive Condominium (EC), cannot be rented out a room during MOP.
3Gen flats, a new flat type established in 2013, are the second-largest flat type after Executive Flats.
Apart from being somewhat bigger than 5-room HDB apartments, the main difference between the two is that 3Gen flats feature two master bedroom suites, whilst 5-room flats only have one.
While regular HDB flats can rent a room out during MOP, 3Gen apartments cannot do that. This means that 3Gen homeowners will not be able to rent a room out in their unit during the five-year MOP period.
