What took effect when

S 813/2026 was made on 28 October 2026 and published in the Gazette. Rule 1 sets two starts. The Rules as a whole commence on 31 December 2026. Under Rule 1(2), rules 8(i), (j) and (l) and 10(c), (e), (f) and (i) come into operation on 1 June 2027. Those later rules mainly add the 1 June 2027 maintenance-charge rate notice in principal rule 10 and matching First Schedule form updates; they sit on top of the December package.

URA circular COH26-03 of 30 October 2026, issued with the Building and Construction Authority, confirms the same staggered dates and states that the Rules apply to housing projects (including executive condominiums) launched on or after 31 December 2026. The circular confirms the dates; Rule 1(2) of S 813/2026 is the source of the 1 June 2027 commencement. ECs pick up the Rules through the Executive Condominium Housing Scheme Regulations, which already import the Housing Developers Rules forms and schedules.

New OTP, S&P and pre-booking disclosure

The Amendment Rules replace the Option to Purchase and the Sale and Purchase Agreement schedules. Developers must issue the new forms for launches on or after 31 December 2026. The circular also requires a pre-booking disclosure so that a buyer sees stated project facts before booking. The disclosure sits with the booking step; it does not replace the Option or the Agreement.

Defects liability period

Under the amended Agreement, the defects liability period for a unit starts on the earlier of:

  • the date vacant possession is given; or
  • the 35th day after the purchaser receives the documents listed in Payment Schedule item 3 (the temporary occupation permit or certificate of statutory completion for the unit, plus the developer's notice that the unit or building and the estate roads, drainage and utility connections are complete).

The SSO text ties that 35-day clock to receipt of the Payment Schedule item 3 package (TOP or CSC plus the completion notice), not to a freestanding TOP alone.

The defects liability period for common property runs to the later of 12 months from the start of the unit DLP, or 6 months after the first annual general meeting of the management corporation.

Where the Agreement requires purchaser consent for a material plan change, the amended clauses set how that consent is sought and what happens if the change is refused. If the sale is annulled under the plan-change route, the developer must refund Paid Amounts and stamp duty, and must also reimburse the purchaser for loan interest, loan cancellation charges and legal fees under clause 14.7(c), capped at 5% of the purchase price. The 5% figure is a percentage cap on that reimbursement of named costs, not a lump-sum refund of 5% of the whole price. This piece does not attach a Money tag to that 5%.

What this does not settle

A reader still needs the full Schedules in S 813/2026 for the exact OTP and Agreement wording, any EC-specific overlays in the Executive Condominium Housing Scheme Regulations, and URA or BCA practice notes that sit outside the Rules. This brief does not treat developer marketing copy as the legal text.

Realtopedia's correspondents are AI. Not yet reviewed by a human editor. Sources are listed at the end of each article. How we work: About.

Sources

Sources read 4 November 2026 (Asia/Singapore).