HDB Sale Of Balance Flats (SBF) 2025
The last HDB SBF took place in February 2025. The next one’s later in 2025.
By Home & Decor -
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HDB’s Sale of Balance Flats (SBF) initiative was officially introduced in November 2007. The initiative was created to provide an alternative route for homebuyers to purchase new flats without waiting for a full Build-To-Order (BTO) construction cycle, which typically takes 3 to 5 years.
Before the SBF system, unsold flats from past launches were released sporadically through Walk-in Selection (WIS) exercises. However, WIS was discontinued in 2007 due to overwhelming demand, long queues, and the government’s aim to improve the allocation process. In place of WIS, HDB introduced the SBF exercise, which consolidated all unsold or returned flats into a structured, twice-yearly sales launch.
History of HDB Sale of Balance (SBF)
2007–2010: The SBF scheme was held once a year, releasing unsold flats from previous BTO launches, Selective En bloc Redevelopment Scheme (SERS) projects, and other sources.
2011–Present: Due to growing demand, HDB increased the frequency of SBF launches to twice a year, typically in May and November. This allowed more homebuyers to secure flats faster compared to waiting for a new BTO project.
2019 Onwards: The government began adjusting its housing supply based on demand patterns, with SBF continuing as a major alternative for home seekers.
Today, SBF remains a popular housing option for those who want to secure an HDB flat more quickly than through the BTO process. The flats available under SBF come from:
- Unsold BTO units from past launches.
- Flats surrendered to HDB due to changes in buyers’ eligibility or cancellations.
- Units from Selective En bloc Redevelopment Scheme (SERS) that are left unselected.
SBF flats are often in high-demand mature estates, making them highly competitive. However, buyers must be prepared for limited unit choices and varying completion timelines—some flats are already built, while others may still be under construction.
HDB SBF February 2025
The most recent HDB Sale of Balance sale exercise took place on 10 February 2025. It was the largest SBF exercise with 5,590 units on sale - spanning 2-room Flexi, 3-room, 4-room, 5-room, an Executive flats, 3Gen flats even.. A second SBF exercise will take place later this year.
Here’s a quick summary of the February 2025 SBF exercise’s sale prices.
| SBF Feb 2025 | Prices |
|---|---|
| Community Care Apartment (30-year Lease) | From $75,000 |
| 2-room Flexi | From $106,000 |
| 3-room | From $134,000 |
| 4-room | From $219,000 |
| 5-room | From $341,000 |
| 3Gen | From $534,000 |
| Executive | From $605,000 |
*Information from HDB Portal
If you need some prices and information to prepare yourself for the next SBF exercise, here are the prices, locations, and unit types from February 2025’s SBF exercise.
| SBF Feb 2025 | Total | Flat Types | Prices | Ethnic Quota |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ang Mo Kio | 677 flats | 2-room Flexi | From $26,000 (99-year lease) | 4 Malay, 4 Chinese |
| 3-room | From $208,000 | 172 Malay, 97 Chinese, 145 Indian/Other Races | ||
| 4-room | From $309,000 | 434 Malay, 170 Chinese, 380 Indian/Other Races | ||
| Bishan | 101 flats | 2-room Flexi | From $93,000 | 13 Malay, 9 Chinese |
| 3-room | From $208,000 | 10 Malay, 10 Chinese, 9 Indian/Other Races | ||
| 4-room | From $509,000 | 64 Malay, 64 Chinese, 61 Indian/Other Races | ||
| Bukit Merah | 85 flats | 2-room Flexi | From $100,000 | 27 Malay, 24 Chinese |
| 3-room | From $168,000 | 18 Malay, 18 Chinese, 12 Indian/Other Races | ||
| 4-room | From $264,000 | 20 Malay, 20 Chinese, 11 Indian/Other Races | ||
| 5-room | From $611,000 | 6 Malay, 6 Chinese, 2 Indian/Other Races | ||
| Clementi | 66 flats | 2-room Flexi | From $141,000 | 9 Malay, 10 Chinese |
| 3-room | From $168,000 | 25 Malay, 25 Chinese, 20 Indian/Other Races | ||
| 4-room | From $584,000 | 13 Malay, 13 Chinese, 11 Indian/Other Races | ||
| 5-room | From $516,000 | 18 Malay, 18 Chinese, 16 Indian/Other Races | ||
| Geylang | 162 flats | 2-room Flexi | From $139,000 | 13 Malay, 13 Chinese |
| 3-room | From $153,000 | 20 Malay, 20 Chinese, 15 Indian/Other Races | ||
| 4-room | From $329,000 | 61 Malay, 61 Chinese, 48 Indian/Other Races | ||
| Kallang/Whampoa | 99 flats | 2-room Flexi | From $142,000 | 30 Malay, 28 Chinese |
| 3-room | From $134,000 | 34 Malay, 34 Chinese, 31 Indian/Other Races | ||
| 4-room | From $494,000 | 31 Malay, 31 Chinese, 24 Indian/Other Races | ||
| Queenstown | 144 flats | 2-room Flexi | From $134,000 | 18 Malay, 10 Chinese |
| 3-room | From $143,000 | 25 Malay, 25 Chinese, 24 Indian/Other Races | ||
| 4-room | From $289,000 | 17 Malay, 17 Chinese, 10 Indian/Other Races | ||
| 5-room | From $681,000 | 1 Malay, 1 Chinese, 0 Indian/Other Races | ||
| Toa Payoh | 283 flats | 2-room Flexi | From $98,000 | 30 Malay, 22 Chinese |
| 3-room | From $153,000 | 44 Malay, 44 Chinese, 40 Indian/Other Races | ||
| 4-room | From $279,000 | 134 Malay, 134 Chinese, 123 Indian/Other Races | ||
| 5-room | From $531,000 | 1 Malay, 1 Chinese, 0 Indian/Other Races |
HDB Sale of Balance (SBF) February 2024
The previous HDB SBF exercise concluded on 29 March 2023, and the last SBF closed on 5 June 2023. The next SBF will be held in February 2024.
Starting this year, HDB’s Sale of Balance Flats (SBF) exercise will only be held once a year. Here’s a summary of the number of units that will be released for sale in SBF February 2024.
| SBF Non-Mature Estates | Estimated completion date | Unit type (quantity available) |
|---|---|---|
| Bukit Batok | 2024 to 2028 | Total: 130 Community Care Apartments (50), 2-room Flexi (20), 3-room (30), 4-room (15), 5-room (15) |
| Choa Chu Kang | Completed | Total: 10 2-room Flexi (5), 4-room (5) |
| Choa Chu Kang | 2026 | Total: 25 3-room (5), 4-room (10), 5-room (10) |
| Hougang | 2025 to 2026 | Total: 50 2-room Flexi (20), 4-room (20), 5-room (10) |
| Jurong West | Completed | Total: 45 2-room Flexi (25), 3-room (5), 4-room (10), 5-room (5) |
| Sengkang | Completed | Total: 100 2-room Flexi (55), 3-room (5), 4-room (30), 5-room (10) |
| Yishun | 2028 to 2029 | Total: 670 2-room Flexi (290), 3-room (5), 4-room (190), 5-room (185) |
| SBF Mature Estates | ||
| Kallang/Whampoa | 2026 | Total: 85 2-room Flexi (30), 3-room (10), 4-room (45) |
| Queenstown | 2027 to 2028 | Total: 170 3-room (30), 4-room (140) |
| Tampines | 2025 to 2026 | Total: 145 2-room Flexi (25), 3-room (5), 4-room (65), 5-room (50) |
Sale of Balance Flats (SBF) vs Built to Order (BTO)
The HDB Sale of Balance Flats (SBF) scheme may not be as popular as BTO flats, however, these ‘leftover’ flats oftentimes have high subscription rates during launch exercises.
SBF flats are equally popular
In fact, in the HDB SBF Nov 2022 launch, more than 25,000 applicants were vying for just 1,071 flats. This meant that there were over 23.7 people eyeing for every SBF flat! For comparison, there were 24,562 applications for the Nov 2022 BTO flats, with an application rate of 2.5.
If you’re looking to buy a home, but find the long waiting times of BTO flats too long or are priced out from the sky-high prices of resale flats these days, getting an HDB Sale of Balance Flat may just be your answer.
What is HDB SBF (Sale of Balance Flat)?
Sale of Balance Flats, or SBF, may be brand new flats left over from previous BTO sale launches, surplus Selective En block Redevelopment Scheme (SERS) replacement flats, or units whose buyers backed out on the purchase. They may also be older flats that were repurchased by the HDB.
Whlie BTO exercises are held four times a year, SBF launches happen only in May and November, concurrently with the BTO launches on the HDB website.
The majority of flats sold under the HDB SBF scheme are either new or under construction, so most come with a fresh 99-year lease.
Lesser SBF flats than BTO
That said, they aren’t as many flats offered compared to BTO launches. Let's just take for example, in the May 2022 launch, there were 2,494 HDB SBFs available. In contrast, 4,583 BTO flats were offered. Meanwhile, there were 5,220 units offered in the HDB SBF November 2021 launch.
Sale of Balance Flats (SBF) Pros & Cons
SBF has a shorter waiting time compared to BTO flats. BTO flats take three to six years to complete. HDB SBF flats may offer a shorter wait for your new crib.
BTO flats will only start construction if 70% of the units are booked. Therefore, it takes about four to five years on average for them to complete. With further construction delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the waiting times for some of these projects have been pushed back for a few more months.
On the other hand, HDB SBFs are mainly flats that have been completed or are under construction, so the waiting time is much shorter, up to nine months from your application submission date.
Hence, the main reason to consider an HDB SBF over a BTO flat is if you don’t want to wait that long for your flat to complete. While you can get a resale flat, remember that Sale of Balance Flats are subsidised by the government, making them a more affordable option.
SBFs are more expensive than BTO flats
Prices of HDB SBFs are adjusted to market conditions. This means that they typically cost more than their BTO counterparts in the same launch.
Alright, to be fair, that's not always the case. HDB SBFs aren't always more expensive than BTO units
That said, not all balance flats are more expensive than BTO flats; for instance, in the HDB SBF launch in May 2022, a 4-room room flat in Queenstown started from $331,000. In the same May 2022 BTO exercise, a 4-room flat in Queenstown was priced from $511,000, or about $180,000 more.
HDB ethnic quota applies to SBF units
Another barrier you might encounter is the Ethnic Integration Policy (EIP). Yes, HDB SBF units are still subject to EIP. The EIP is one of many schemes in the government’s toolbox to foster racial harmony and tolerance.
In a nutshell, the EIP stipulates a quota of different ethnicities in each HDB housing block. This could raise or lower your chances of getting a unit, depending on the existing quotas in your housing block.
More locations and flat types available in SBF
Unlike a typical BTO launch, which usually only offers flats in three or four locations, HDB SBFs are pooled together from many different locations, across both mature and non-mature estates.
This means you have a greater number of locations to choose from, especially if you want to live in a particular estate that isn’t available in the BTO launch. If you’re extremely lucky, this could be a second chance for you to get a flat in the area you’ve been eyeing.
For the same reason, you will usually encounter a large selection of different unit types on offer, ranging from 3-room units all the way up to 3Gen flats.
You have a shorter time to get money ready for SBF
While HDB SBF units have shorter waiting times, the compromise is that you have less time to save up for the down payment as well as other costs such as renovation. With BTO flats, you have a buffer time of about three to five years to save up before your flat is ready.
You can visit & view SBF units compared to BTO flats
Since HDB SBF units are either completed or almost completed, you know a lot more about the launch such as the flat’s location, block and unit number, and even the EIP and Singapore Permanent Resident (SPR) quotas. These are not present in BTO launches.
That said, HDB only releases information about HDB SBF on the day of the launch, so you only have about a week to look through the information and submit the application.
Limited selection of SBF flat choices
As these flats consist of leftover units, they can be deemed ‘undesirable’. Some of these include being located on lower floors, facing the centralised refuse chute, west-facing units, or units with ‘inauspicious’ Feng Shui… you get the idea. Hence, HDB SBF units are only suitable for buyers who do not mind their ‘flaws’, a thorny task made even more difficult given the small pool of available units to choose from.
SBF buyers are eligible for HDB Grants
Similar to HDB BTO flats, you’re also eligible for the Enhanced CPF Housing Grant (EHG) of up to $80,000. If you’re a second-time home buyer buying a subsidised 2-room or 3-room HDB SBF unit, you can also receive up to $15,000 in grants via the Step-Up CPF Housing Grant (SUHG).
Not all HDB SBFs are new flats
While most HDB SBF units are unsold flats from previous BTO exercises, some also consist of remaining flats from SERS as well as flats that were repurchased by HDB from their previous owners.
In particular, repurchased flats are old flats that were sold to HDB by their previous owners can be quite old. Some of the reasons why the owners chose to give up their flats include couples who broke up before the Minimum Occupation Period (MOP) and previous owners who were unable to keep up with the mortgage repayments.
In other words, some HDB SBFs don’t come with a fresh 99-year lease and could be decades-old.
SBF units can be cheaper than HDB resale flats
If you don’t mind buying an old SBF, you can snag an HDB SBF that’s below the price of resale flats in the market. Let's take for example, in May 2022's HDB SBF launch, the starting price of a 4-room flat in Ang Mo Kio was selling for $293,000 (excluding grants). In contrast, a 4-room resale flat in the estate is selling from $405,000 to nearly a million dollars.
HDB Priority schemes still apply for SBF flats
Aside from the EIP, SBF launches are also subject to various housing priority schemes. So for example, first-timers will be given priority and will have two ballot chances, compared to second-timers.
Those who qualify under the Parenthood Priority Scheme (PPS) and Married Child Priority Scheme (MCPS) will also be at an advantage here.
In addition, a higher proportion of flats will also be allocated to first-time applicants. For instance, in non-mature estates, 95% of the remaining non-senior flat will be reserved for first-timers.
This means that if you’re a second-time applicant, you’ll only be invited for unit selection after the priority groups, and even then, only if there are more than 34 units available for public application. Moreover, only 5% of the units will be allocated to you.
Can I apply for both BTO & SBF?
HDB SBF launches are typically timed to coincide with BTO launches, with both offered under a single joint exercise. However, applicants may not apply for both BTO and HDB SBF units during the same launch - they have to pick one or the other. Hence, you’ll have to be sure about what you want before applying.
In terms of the application process, applying for an HDB SBF unit is pretty similar to applying for a BTO flat. In any case, here’s a quick summary of how to apply for an HDB SBF flat.
How to apply for HDB Sale of Balance Flat (SBF)?
We assume you’ve checked your eligibility to apply for an HDB flat, and have prepared the appropriate financing schemes.
- Watch out for the SBF announcement by HDB
- Submit your application within the launch period (one week).
- Wait for the results of the HDB ballot. This could take a few weeks.
- Depending on your queue number, you may be invited to select and book a unit.
- If selected, and you find a suitable unit, make your booking.
- Wait to collect your keys. This could be as soon as three months for completed flats.
HDB Re-Offer of Balance Flats (ROF)
Before 2020, all unsold HDB SBFs would be pooled together and sold through the Re-Offer of Balance Flat (ROF) scheme. If there were still any unselected flats, they will be reoffered again via Open Booking of Flats.
However, HDB has since scrapped the ROF scheme to allow home buyers to access flats more quickly. So now, all unsold HDB SBFs will be offered for open booking.
Flats offered under the open booking scheme are based on a first come first served basis. You can apply for a flat online at any time and receive a queue number to book a flat as early as the next working day.
HDB Repurchased Flats
Repurchased flats are older flats that were sold and returned to the HDB for various reasons, such as the previous owners may have been unable to keep up with the payment, or a couple getting a divorce before they completed their Minimum Occupation Period of five years.
If you are buying a HDB Repurchased Flat, you can move into these vacated flats as soon as the paperwork is completed.
Buying a HDB Repurchased Flat? Check for loan sharks
The most common woe HDB Repurchased flat buyers face is when loan sharks turn up to collect debts incurred by the previous owners. We have heard of horror tales of new owners waking up to paint-splashed doors and ‘Owe $ Pay $’ messages scribbled on walls.
Fortunately for one buyer who shared his story on a local forum, he only faced a letterbox stuffed with debt claims from loan companies. That soon stopped after he informed the companies that the previous owner had already moved out. “I got [my flat] at 25 per cent discount compared to the resale price at the time, so it was all worth it,” said the happy buyer whose flat is on a high floor with unobstructed views.
Visit the HDB Repurchased Flat, talk to neighbours
Do visit the HDB Repurchased flat to look out for tell-tale signs of trouble, such as walls painted over to cover messages from loan sharks or notices stuck on the door. Try to chat up the neighbours to find out about the previous owner’s history.
One potential buyer checked out a unit at Sengkang and changed his mind after seeing the “calligraphy” on the walls.
However, rumour has it that sometimes, these may be the work of desperate fellow balloters who hope to scare off competitors keen on the same unit. (How true is this? It really sounds desperate to us.)
HDB Repurchased Flat: Owner passed away in flat?
In extreme cases, the HDB Repurchased flat could have been sold back to HDB because a tragic incident, such as suicide or a murder, had occurred in the flat. Depending on how superstitious you are, this may be an instant deal breaker — or an opportunity to buy a flat at a hefty discount, with no competition! Again, visit the unit and ask the neighbours.
Part of this article was first published by Alevin Chan in Singsaver.