Singapore · Bridging loan complete guide
Bridging loan Singapore — complete guide
A bridging loan covers the cash-flow gap between buying a new property and receiving sale proceeds from your existing property. 12 MAS-regulated SG lenders offer bridging facilities, almost universally with a 6-month tenure secured against expected sale proceeds. This guide breaks down how it works, who qualifies, and how to compare across lenders.
Key facts
- Tenure: Industry-standard 6 months across virtually all MAS-regulated lenders
- Security: Net sale proceeds of your outgoing property
- Pricing: Pegged to bank prime/board rate or SORA — quoted on application
- Three product shapes: HDB bridging, private property bridging, EC deferred bridging
- Bundling: Often offered alongside the onward mortgage from the same lender
How a bridging loan actually works
Typical sequence for a property upgrader (HDB → HDB or HDB → private):
- You sign the OTP on the new property and pay the booking fee from cash savings.
- Within 3 weeks, you exercise the OTP and sign the Sale & Purchase agreement on the new property.
- You list and sell your existing property — HDB resale typically takes 12-20 weeks to completion; private can range wider.
- If new-property completion runs ahead of existing-sale completion, the cash-flow gap is real. Lender disburses bridging loan at new-property completion.
- Bridging is secured against expected sale proceeds from the outgoing property (verified by your buyer's OTP/S&P).
- Interest accrues from disbursement. Most bridging facilities are interest-only — no principal repayments during the tenure.
- Existing-property sale completes, sale proceeds repay the bridging loan principal + accrued interest in a single lump sum.
Three bridging-loan shapes
HDB bridging
For HDB upgraders selling and buying within the HDB or HDB-to-private path.
Full guidePrivate property
For private-to-private or private-to-HDB transitions.
Full guideEC deferred
For Executive Condominium buyers under the Deferred Payment Scheme.
Full guideEligibility — the standard checklist
- Option to Purchase (OTP) signed on the new property
- Sale arrangement firm on the existing property — OTP signed by the buyer or Sale & Purchase agreement executed
- Onward mortgage approved on the new property (lenders typically check this in parallel)
- Credit underwriting passes at the bridging lender — same general criteria as for a home loan
- TDSR applies to the onward mortgage (the bridging loan itself typically does not affect TDSR because it's short-term and secured against pending proceeds)
Typical fees on a Singapore bridging loan
- Legal / conveyancing fees — commonly SGD 1,500-3,000 for HDB transactions; SGD 2,000-4,000 for private property
- Valuation fee — SGD 300-800 if not bundled with the onward mortgage
- Processing fee — varies by lender; sometimes waived when bridging is bundled with the onward home loan from the same lender
- Interest charges — accrue from disbursement until repayment from sale proceeds
How rates are priced (and why you can't quote them)
Singapore bridging-loan rates are not typically published as fixed percentages on lender marketing pages. Two main pricing models:
- Prime-rate-linked — pegged to the lender's published prime or board rate plus a spread. Adjusts when the lender changes its prime.
- SORA-linked — pegged to the Singapore Overnight Rate Average plus a spread. Adjusts more frequently as SORA moves with monetary conditions.
Some non-bank lenders quote fixed rates per-transaction. Specific rate is always quoted on application — see the bridging-loan interest rate guide for the full mechanics.
Lenders offering bridging loans in Singapore
7 MAS-regulated banks. See all 12 lenders including finance companies and specialist lenders, or the comparison table grouped by product type.
Bank (local)
OCBC Bank
Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited
Bank (foreign)
Standard Chartered
Standard Chartered Bank (Singapore) Limited
Frequently asked questions
What is a bridging loan in Singapore?
A short-term loan that covers the cash-flow gap between buying a new property and receiving sale proceeds from your existing property. Most Singapore bridging facilities have a 6-month tenure and are secured against the expected sale proceeds. Available for HDB upgraders, private-property transitions and Executive Condominium (EC) buyers under the Deferred Payment Scheme.
Who needs a bridging loan?
Property buyers in Singapore whose new-property completion runs ahead of existing-property sale completion. Common scenarios: HDB upgraders buying private property; HDB owners moving between flats; private-to-private transitions; EC buyers at handover.
How long is a bridging loan in Singapore?
Industry-standard maximum is 6 months from disbursement across virtually all MAS-regulated lenders. Some lenders allow extension at materially higher rates if the existing sale completes late, but the standard tenure assumes you have a firm sale arrangement that completes within the window.
How much can I borrow?
Typically up to the net sale proceeds you expect to receive from your outgoing property (after settling the outstanding mortgage and CPF refunds). Lenders verify expected proceeds against the OTP or S&P documents from the incoming buyer of your existing property.
What are typical bridging-loan rates in Singapore?
Singapore bridging-loan rates are not typically published as fixed percentages. Banks quote against their prime / board rate or against SORA; non-bank lenders price per-transaction. Specific rate is quoted on application. See the rate-comparison page for pricing-model context, or use the free shortlist tool to be matched with brokers across multiple lenders.
Bridging loan vs term loan — what's the difference?
A bridging loan is short-term (typically 6 months), interest-only, repaid in a single lump-sum when sale proceeds arrive. A term loan amortises over 10-30 years with principal + interest paid monthly. Bridging fills a specific cash-flow timing gap; a term loan funds long-term ownership.
Do I need bridging if I sell first then buy?
If completion of your existing property sale arrives before you commit to the new property, you typically don't need bridging — the sale proceeds are available to fund the down-payment on the new property. Many Singapore property transitions sequence buying first because of OTP / S&P timing pressure, which is when bridging becomes useful.
Which Singapore lenders offer bridging loans?
Most MAS-regulated banks and all three MAS-regulated finance companies offer bridging facilities. 12 lenders in total are covered in the lender library: 7 banks (DBS, OCBC, UOB, Standard Chartered, Maybank, HSBC, Citi), 3 finance companies (Hong Leong Finance, Singapura Finance, Sing Investments & Finance) plus specialist lenders.
How do I apply for a bridging loan in Singapore?
Either approach a lender directly (typically via the same bank handling your onward mortgage) or use a MAS-regulated mortgage broker who can compare facilities across multiple lenders. Brokers add value when timing is tight or eligibility is borderline. The free shortlist tool routes your inquiry to MAS-regulated brokers.
Sources & methodology
Bridging-loan product information drawn from each MAS-regulated lender's published bridging-loan page. Specific rates and fees are quoted on application and may differ from any general framework. This page is informational only and does not constitute financial advice. For binding rates, contact the lender or use the free shortlist tool.