From TOP to Key Collection: Defects Inspection for New Condo Buyers in Singapore

Key takeaways

• Keys are released after TOP is issued and the instalment due at TOP is paid.
• The vacant possession date in the S&PA is the latest date for key handover; the actual handover can be earlier.
• The defects liability period is 12 months and usually starts at vacant possession or, if earlier, 15 days after the TOP and infrastructure notice.
• Report defects using the S&PA procedure. The developer then has one month from receiving your notice to make them good at its own cost.
• If the developer does not rectify, the S&PA sets out a procedure to use your own contractors and deduct the cost from the stakeholder sum.
• TOP concerns structural safety under the Building Control Act. Defects in the unit are contractual matters under the S&PA and are not regulated by BCA.

Background

When you buy an uncompleted private home from a licensed housing developer, you sign a Sale and Purchase Agreement with the developer, which URA describes in Step 4 of its guide. URA’s Home Buyer’s Guide walks buyers through each stage, from the show flat and the Option to Purchase to the S&PA and, in Step 5, key collection and completion of sale.

URA’s guide defines a defect as any fault in the unit, the housing project or the common or limited common property that is due to defective workmanship or materials, or because the unit was not built according to the specifications in the S&PA. It also notes that the TOP issued by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) covers structural safety under the Building Control Act, while defects in the unit and the housing project are contractual matters under the S&PA and are not regulated by BCA.

This article organises that guidance into a practical sequence for buyers approaching TOP. Your own S&PA, and advice from your lawyer, govern your transaction.

Latest guidance

URA’s Buying Property page was last updated on 29 June 2026. The Home Buyer’s Guide Steps 4 and 5, which URA links from that page, do not show a publication date. All three were reviewed on 6 November 2026. This article does not report a new policy or effective date.

Read the clauses in your own S&PA and confirm anything unclear with your lawyer.

Who is affected

This guide is for buyers of uncompleted private homes, such as new launch condominium units, bought from a housing developer, whose project is approaching or has reached TOP.

It is most relevant if you are preparing for the TOP instalment, planning key collection and renovation, or deciding how to inspect the unit and report defects. For an overview of buying at a new launch, see the new launch condo page.

Who is not affected

This article covers URA’s guidance for uncompleted private homes bought from a developer. Buying a completed resale condominium from an existing owner follows a different process; the new launch vs resale comparison explains the main differences. HDB flats follow HDB’s own procedures, which this article does not cover.

If you are not sure whether this guidance matches your contract, ask your lawyer. This article does not give legal or building advice for a specific unit.

What remains unchanged

• TOP and the Certificate of Statutory Completion are issued under the Building Control Act; occupying a building without either is an offence.
• An estimated TOP date given by a developer may differ from the actual TOP date.
• Defects are handled under the terms of your S&PA, not by BCA.
• The sale is not complete at key collection; completion follows a separate Notice to Complete.
• No outcome on defects, timelines or rectification quality is guaranteed.

Planning considerations

1. Check the dates in your S&PA early

Find the vacant possession date and the completion date in your S&PA. URA’s guide notes that the developer’s estimated TOP date may deviate from the actual date, and that the vacant possession date is the latest date by which the keys must be handed over. Plan your move, tenancy end date or renovation booking around a range rather than a single day.

2. Prepare for the TOP instalment

Under the payment schedule, 25% of the purchase price is due when TOP is issued and the roads, drainage and sewerage works are completed. Keys are released only after this payment. Confirm with your bank and CPF Board how the payment will be made, and see the new launch progressive payment guide for the wider cash-flow picture.

3. Inspect the unit and common areas thoroughly

URA advises buyers to make a thorough inspection of the unit when taking vacant possession and to highlight any defects to the developer. Check walls, floors, doors, windows, fittings and finishes against the specifications in your S&PA, and look at the housing project and common property too. If you are unsure whether something is a defect, URA suggests clarifying with the developer or seeking professional advice. The guide also refers buyers to BCA’s guide on good practices for quality workmanship.

4. Report defects the way your S&PA requires

Defects that appear within the 12-month defects liability period should be reported using the notification procedure in your S&PA. Keep photographs, a list of items and a dated record of when each notice was sent and received. The developer’s one-month period to make good runs from when it receives your notice.

5. Know the procedure if defects are not rectified

If the developer does not make good the defects within one month, URA’s guide states that you may engage your own contractors and deduct the cost from the sum held by the Singapore Academy of Law as stakeholder, following the S&PA procedures, and that you must also serve a notice of deductions on the Singapore Academy of Law. Speak to your lawyer before you take this route so that each step follows the contract.

6. Plan renovation and running costs

Before renovation work starts, record the condition of the unit and report existing defects, so that original defects are easier to tell apart from later works. Budget for maintenance charges too: URA’s guide states they start on the earlier of vacant possession or the 15th day after the TOP or CSC and infrastructure completion notice, with a six-month lump sum first and quarterly payments in advance after that. The guide to condo maintenance fees and the sinking fund explains how these charges work once the MCST is formed.

7. Prepare for completion of sale

The developer issues a Notice to Complete by the date in the S&PA or three years after vacant possession, whichever is earlier, and completion takes place within 14 days of receiving it. URA’s guide also notes that if the final surveyed area is smaller than the S&PA area by more than 3%, the price is reduced for the shortfall beyond 3%. Your lawyer handles the completion documents. If you are also weighing your next move, such as selling, renting or buying another new launch, the new launch condo page explains how Melvin helps buyers plan their purchases.

FAQ

This article provides general educational information. Contract, defects, loan and CPF matters depend on your own Sale and Purchase Agreement and circumstances, and should be confirmed with your lawyer, bank, CPF Board or a qualified professional before you act.