BTO key collection checklist
Part of the questions on Before and after key collection
HDB tells you by email and SMS within 2 weeks before your key collection appointment, and the appointment letter in MyHDB Page lists what to pay. Bring identity cards for every applicant and occupier, the fire insurance certificate if you have an HDB loan, and a phone with Singpass if you are paying with CPF.
Before the appointment
- Check the flat’s Probable Completion Date on MyHDB Page. It is an estimate: blocks in one project are completed, and their keys handed over, progressively.
- HDB notifies you by email and SMS within 2 weeks before the appointment. Log in to MyHDB Page and read the appointment letter and its financial worksheet.
- You must take possession of the flat within 1 month of HDB’s notice. The appointment can be changed on MyHDB Page, but deferring beyond a month means paying daily interest on the balance of the purchase price.
- All applicants attend in person, at the Sales Office in HDB Hub at Lorong 6 Toa Payoh.
What to bring
- Identity cards for all applicants and occupiers in the flat application, physical or digital through the Singpass app. Children under 15 are not required to.
- Certificate of Insurance for fire insurance, if you are taking an HDB housing loan. It must be from HDB’s appointed insurer, Etiqa.
- A phone or device with internet access and Singpass, if you are using CPF savings: the CPF withdrawal is applied for online at the appointment.
- Power of Attorney, if someone is attending for an applicant: the original, with every document the letter lists.
What you pay
Your appointment letter’s financial worksheet has your own figures. The fees HDB publishes:
| Payment | Amount |
|---|---|
| Balance of the purchase price | In full, by cash, CPF or housing loan as your worksheet shows |
| Survey fee, 2-room Flexi | $163.50 |
| Survey fee, 3-room | $231.60 |
| Survey fee, 4-room | $299.75 |
| Survey fee, 5-room | $354.25 |
| Lease In-Escrow registration fee | $38.30, if HDB acts for you in the purchase |
| Mortgage In-Escrow registration fee | $38.30, if HDB acts for you in an HDB housing loan |
| Stamp duty on the Deed of Assignment | 0.40% of the loan amount, at most $500, if you are taking a housing loan |
| Resale levy | If you are a second-timer; in cash |
Survey fees include GST. All from HDB’s Key Collection page.
In the first weeks after
- Check the flat and report what needs putting right. A new flat has a 1-year Defects Liability Period. Report items by scanning the QR code in your Welcome Kit or on the notice in the kitchen, or at the temporary Building Service Centre near the block. HDB arranges a joint inspection and assigns a contractor.
- Bring a lock. HDB recommends not handing your flat keys to the contractor doing the rectification.
- Sort the renovation permit before any work. Your contractor, from HDB’s Directory of Renovation Contractors, applies for it. See the HDB renovation permit.
- Leave the bathroom tiles on. In a newly built flat the wall and floor finishes in bathrooms and toilets may not be removed for 3 years; new tiles can be laid over them.
- Mind the clock. Renovation in a newly completed block must be finished within 3 months of the permit, in the hours HDB allows.
From key collection you are the flat’s owner, and liable for the loan instalments, the monthly service and conservancy charges and the annual property tax.
What you can do before the keys
HDB’s own advice is to start thinking about the renovation, and looking for a designer or contractor, before your key collection date. The unit plan in your sales brochure is enough to begin: bring it into Setout, furnish it at true size and see it in 3D, so the layout is decided before the 3 months start. The BTO project pages have each project’s flat sizes and what renovating one typically costs.
Sources
- HDB, Key Collection · read 12 October 2026
- HDB, Rectification of Defects in New Flats · read 12 October 2026
- HDB, Important Information on Renovations · read 12 October 2026
- MyNiceHome (HDB), How to Renovate Your HDB Flat, updated 24 June 2026 · read 12 October 2026
Rules and fees change. The linked page is the authority; if it differs from this one, go by it, and tell us.
Questions
What do I need to bring for BTO key collection?
Identity cards for all applicants and occupiers (physical or digital via Singpass), the Certificate of Insurance for fire insurance if you are taking an HDB housing loan, and a phone or device with internet access and Singpass if you are paying with CPF savings.
How will I know my key collection date?
HDB notifies you by email and SMS within 2 weeks before the appointment, and the appointment letter is in MyHDB Page. The flat’s Probable Completion Date is shown there too, as an estimate.
What do I do after collecting my BTO keys?
Check the flat and report defects within the 1-year Defects Liability Period, have your contractor apply for the HDB renovation permit before any work, and finish the renovation within 3 months of the permit.
Can I change my key collection appointment?
Yes, on MyHDB Page. But you must take possession within 1 month of HDB’s notice, and deferring beyond a month means paying daily interest on the balance of the purchase price.
Decide the layout before the keys, on the plan from your sales brochure.
Plan your new flat