Resale Condo Due Diligence Checklist for Singapore Buyers

A resale condo lets you inspect the home and neighbourhood before buying. That advantage disappears if the viewing stops at the renovated surfaces. A resale condo due diligence checklist should cover the title, approved plans, MCST, unit defects, current transactions and every payment needed to complete.

Complete the high-risk checks before exercising the Option to Purchase (OTP). Your lawyer should handle the legal advice and searches; this checklist helps you ask for the right evidence. First-time buyers can pair it with our seven condo-buying mistakes before viewing.

Confirm eligibility, loan and stamp duty first

Get an in-principle approval from the intended bank before making an offer. Ask the bank to assess the proposed borrowers, loan tenure and existing debts under TDSR. The approved amount can fall if the valuation comes below your price.

Record:

• maximum loan and approval expiry;
• minimum cash downpayment;
• CPF OA available and housing limits;
• Buyer's Stamp Duty;
• Additional Buyer's Stamp Duty for the ownership structure; and
• cash above valuation if the bank values the unit lower.

Our condo affordability guide provides the full worksheet. HDB owners should also confirm that they have met the applicable MOP before buying private residential property.

Do not give an agent your name, citizenship and property count and assume the ABSD answer is settled. Ask your conveyancing lawyer to check the intended ownership names and acquisition history against the current IRAS rules.

Ask your lawyer to check title and restrictions

The seller must own the interest offered for sale and have the legal ability to transfer it. Your lawyer should review the title, mortgage and registered interests, the OTP terms and any restrictions affecting the purchase.

Singapore Land Authority's Integrated Land Information Service (INLIS) offers:

• Property Ownership Information;
• Property Title Information;
• title information with a cadastral map or strata certified plan; and
• encumbrance information.

SLA warns users to match the property address with the correct lot and title. Use the SLA land-title search guidance to understand the records, then let your lawyer decide which searches the transaction requires.

Buyers should also tell the lawyer about planned uses or works. Short-term accommodation, business use, extensive alterations and foreign ownership of restricted residential property can trigger separate rules.

Check approved use and alterations

URA tells private-property buyers to check for unauthorised works, extensions or inappropriate use because the buyer may become responsible after taking over. Ask the seller for approved plans and approvals for renovations that changed walls, wet areas, balconies or other regulated parts of the unit.

If the evidence is incomplete:

1. Compare the unit with the approved floor plan.
2. Ask who designed and approved the alteration.
3. Request MCST renovation approvals where relevant.
4. Ask your lawyer or qualified professional whether URA or BCA records are needed.
5. Make rectification or documentation part of the negotiation.

URA allows a prospective owner to request planning records with the required consent and points buyers to BCA for approved building and structural plans. Read URA's current buying-property checks.

Fresh carpentry can hide a leak but cannot cure it. Inspect the ceiling, window edges, bathrooms and external walls for staining, swelling, mould or recent patching.

Review the MCST finances and facilities

The Management Corporation Strata Title (MCST) runs the common property and collects maintenance and sinking-fund contributions. Poor finances or planned major work can reach you through higher contributions or a special levy after completion.

Request what the seller can provide:

Document or fact	Question it answers
Current maintenance and sinking-fund contributions	What recurring amount will you pay?
Recent AGM minutes	Which defects, disputes and projects concern owners?
Special-levy notices	Has the MCST approved a one-off collection?
Major-work plans or tenders	Are lift, façade, roof or pipe works approaching?
By-laws	Do rules affect pets, renovation, parking or use?
Car-park allocation	Does the unit have the parking arrangement represented?

Minutes can contain complaints without proving a building-wide defect. Use them to identify questions for the managing agent, seller and your inspector.

Walk the common areas beyond the show route. Check basement water marks, lift condition, refuse areas, pool decks and façade repairs. Visit after rain if water ingress concerns you.

Inspect the exact unit twice

One daylight viewing and one evening viewing reveal different problems.

During the inspections:

• test water pressure and drainage;
• open windows, cabinets and built-in appliances;
• listen for road, aircraft, school and facility noise;
• check afternoon sun and ventilation;
• confirm mobile reception;
• measure rooms and furniture paths;
• inspect air-conditioning age and servicing records; and
• look from each window at present and possible future obstructions.

Engage an inspector or relevant contractor where the condition warrants it. The fee is small compared with waterproofing, electrical or air-conditioning replacement after completion.

Compare transactions that resemble your unit

URA provides five years of private residential transactions through its public search. New-sale records come from developer options; resale and subsale records draw on caveats lodged with SLA. URA notes that caveat lodgement is not mandatory.

Choose comparisons with:

• the same project, then nearby projects;
• similar floor area and bedroom count;
• a close floor band;
• the same sale type; and
• recent transaction dates.

Adjust for facing, renovation, tenancy, private lift, outdoor area and parking. Do not add the seller's renovation invoice dollar for dollar. You are buying the present utility and condition, not reimbursing the owner.

Our guide to new launch versus resale condos sets out the price and certainty trade-off if the resale unit no longer looks competitive.

Check the surrounding plans and daily route

Use URA's Master Plan and planning records to inspect the current zoning around the development. A vacant plot, old low-rise building or surface car park may change. The Master Plan shows planning intention, not a promise about timing or the exact future building.

Walk the routes your household will use:

• station entrance and platform;
• school gate or childcare;
• supermarket and food;
• car-park exit during peak traffic; and
• sheltered route in rain.

Confirm school-distance claims using the official OneMap school-query service. A marketing radius from the site boundary may not match the address point used for admission.

Visit on a weekday evening and weekend morning. A quiet mid-day viewing will not show school pickup, facility use or commuter traffic.

Review the OTP and completion costs before paying

CEA publishes a buyer's checklist and standard contract templates for completed private residential property. Ask your lawyer to review the OTP before you pay or exercise it, especially where the transaction needs:

• vacant possession;
• an existing tenancy;
• sale of your current home;
• financing or valuation conditions;
• included fixtures and appliances; or
• rectification of an identified issue.

List all completion costs: downpayment, BSD, ABSD, legal and valuation fees, property-tax adjustment, maintenance adjustment, insurance, renovation and moving. The seller's asking price covers none of these.

The CEA completed-private-property buyer checklist also prompts checks on ownership, approved use, unauthorised alterations, property tax and MCST charges.

Use a red-flag register

Write each unresolved issue and assign an action.

Issue	Evidence needed	Owner	Deadline
Altered kitchen wall	Approved plan or professional review	Buyer/lawyer	Before exercise
Possible special levy	AGM minutes and managing-agent confirmation	Seller/agent	Before offer expires
Bank valuation risk	Valuation and larger cash buffer	Buyer/bank	Before exercise
Water stain below window	Inspection and repair scope	Inspector/seller	Before final offer

A red flag can lead to a lower offer, a contract condition or a decision to walk away. Do not let an option deadline turn an unanswered question into your cost.

Sources: URA buying-property checks, URA private residential transactions, SLA land-title search, CEA private-property transaction guidance, CEA buyer checklist.