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Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA)
Circulars

New measures to enhance protection of home buyers’ interests through strengthening deterrence of errant developer behaviour

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Controller of Housing

22 May 2026

Circular No : URA/COH/Circular-2026-01; BCA/CPQ/QCDC20260522
Our Ref : URA/COH/Circular, BCA/CPQ/Circular

CIRCULAR TO PROFESSIONAL INSTITUTES

Who Should Know:
Developers

Effective Date:
With effect from 22 May 2026

New measures to enhance protection of home buyers’ interests through strengthening deterrence of errant developer behaviour 

  1. Over the years, the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) and the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) have put in place measures to enhance the workmanship quality of housing projects and deter housing developers from delivering defects-ridden projects to home buyers. These include more comprehensive workmanship quality checks under BCA’s Construction Quality Assessment System (CONQUAS1) for all Government Land Sales sites, enhanced construction quality inspections of all residential units developed by developers with track records of poor construction quality; public disclosure of developers’ CONQUAS performance to help home buyers make informed decisions; and suspension of sales privileges for errant developers. Collectively, these measures have been largely effective in safeguarding construction quality standards for private housing projects and home buyers’ interests. Overall, the majority of developers have delivered quality private housing projects to home buyers. 

  2. Notwithstanding the safeguards already in place, there is scope to strengthen deterrence against severe errant developer behaviour, to provide greater protection for home buyers. This will not affect the majority of developers, as most have complied with the measures put in place. Following extensive consultations with industry stakeholders and a review of existing policies, the following new measures will be implemented with effect from 22 May 2026: 

    1. Land Sales Disqualification Framework: 
      Housing developers who deliver housing projects with severe regulatory non-compliances affecting safety or demonstrate recalcitrant behaviour by having consecutive projects with major defects, may be disqualified from participating in land sales for sites with residential components2  for up to five years (“Land Sales Disqualification Period”). 

    2. Sales Suspension Framework: 
      Housing developers who deliver housing projects with severe regulatory non-compliances affecting safety and/or housing project(s) with major defects (which may include major defects and recalcitrant behaviour within the scope of paragraph 2(a) above) may be placed on a sales suspension list for up to five years (“General Sales Suspension Period”). A no-sale licence condition will be imposed on such housing developers’ future unlaunched projects, for a period of up to five years (“Project-Specific Sales Suspension Period”). 

  3. The Land Sales Disqualification and/or Sales Suspension Frameworks may apply to an errant developer and relevant parties3, including its directors and substantial shareholders. 

  4. In assessing whether a developer and the relevant parties should be subject to the Land Sales Disqualification and/or Sales Suspension Frameworks, as well as in determining the duration of the relevant Land Sales Disqualification and/or Sales Suspension Periods, all relevant factors based on the specific circumstances of each case, including the following, will be taken into consideration:

    1. the number and severity of regulatory non-compliances and/or major defects4 in a housing project that are attributable to the developer, in relation to the scale of the project; 

    2. the time taken for the developer to rectify the regulatory non-compliances and/or major defects; 

    3. the extent of impact of the regulatory non-compliances and/or major defects on home buyers, including whether safety and/or liveability is affected; 

    4. any relevant aggravating or extenuating circumstances faced by the developer; and

    5. (in respect of the relevant parties) the extent of control of the relevant parties over the errant developer. 

  5. A potential errant developer, its directors, substantial shareholders and their respective directors will be given early warnings and opportunities to make representations or rectifications, prior to the determination and notification of any penalties. The Land Sales Disqualification and/or General Sales Suspension Periods referred to in paragraph two will commence on the date stated in the authorities’ notification to the errant parties. The Project-Specific Sales Suspension Period will commence on the date of issue of the housing developer’s licence. Where an errant developer and relevant parties are subject to Land Sales Disqualification and/or Sales Suspension Periods for one or more housing project(s), the periods may apply concurrently and/or consecutively.

  6. Land sales bids submitted by disqualified parties will not be considered. All prospective land bidders (including joint ventures) are advised to check their eligibility to participate in land sales for sites with residential components, including by having regard to the relevant tender / sales conditions. The lists of parties subject to land sales disqualification and sales suspension will be separately published and kept up to date at the following website: https://go.gov.sg/land-sales-disqualification. Parties are advised to check if their directors, substantial shareholders, and other relevant parties are on the lists.

Enquiries

  1. Please refer to Annex A [PDF, 134 KB] for a list of frequently asked questions on the Land Sales Disqualification and Sales Suspension Frameworks.

  2. We would appreciate it if you could convey the contents of this circular to the relevant members of your organisation. If you or your members have any queries concerning this circular, you may contact:

Thank You.

WANG JIUN HAUR
SENIOR DIRECTOR
STRATEGIC PLANNING DIVISION
For PERMANENT SECRETARY (NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT)

JASON TEO
GROUP DIRECTOR
LAND SALES AND ADMINISTRATION GROUP
URBAN REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY

ADELINE LOO (MS)
GROUP DIRECTOR
CONSTRUCTION PRODUCTIVITY & QUALITY
BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION AUTHORITY


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1 Introduced in 1989, CONQUAS serves as a national standard for assessing the construction workmanship quality of new building projects. The enhanced checks are applied on projects undertaken by developers with poor or no track records. 

2 Refers to all land launched for tender/sale by Ministries, Organs of State, Departments and Statutory Boards on or after 22 May 2026, where residential units are allowed to be developed, i.e. Residential, Residential with Commercial at 1st Storey, Commercial, Commercial & Residential, Hotel and White sites. Private land sales, such as enbloc sales of residential projects between existing property owners and developers, are excluded.

3 Relevant parties of errant developer include: (a) its director(s), (b) its substantial shareholder(s) (as defined in section 81 of the Companies Act 1967), (c) director(s) of the substantial shareholder(s), (d) any company which has the errant developer, any of the disqualified / suspended director(s) and/or any of the disqualified / suspended substantial shareholder(s) appointed as a director, (e) any company which has the errant developer, any of the disqualified / suspended director(s) and/or any of the disqualified / suspended substantial shareholder(s) appointed as a substantial shareholder; and (f) any company which has the errant developer, any of the disqualified / suspended director(s) and/or any of the disqualified / suspended substantial shareholder(s) appointed as a director of any of its substantial shareholder(s).

4 Major defects refer to defects that are attributable to the developer and are not promptly rectified that significantly affect end-users’ liveability or functionality as classified under BCA’s CONQUAS e.g. missing/broken accessories for architectural items, cracked/chipped/broken windowpanes, shower screens, mirrors/any glass items, visually visible cracked tiles/stones. This will be limited to defects which developers have been given sufficient and reasonable notice, on or after 22 May 2026, to rectify.

Download PDF Version [PDF, 258 KB]

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