What 99-year leasehold tenure means in Singapore, how the lease clock runs, and how it affects financing and CPF usage.
What the tenure is
A 99-year leasehold property grants the owner the right to occupy and deal with the property for 99 years from the start of the lease. On a Government Land Sale site, the lease begins at the award of the parcel to the developer, not at completion.
That means a buyer at launch typically acquires a lease with a few years already elapsed, since construction runs between award and handover.
Why most new launches are leasehold
Freehold land in Singapore is finite and rarely comes to market except through collective sale. State land released through the GLS programme is sold on a 99-year lease, so almost all new suburban launches carry that tenure.
Financing a leasehold property
Banks lend against 99-year leasehold property as a matter of course. Loan tenure remains capped at 35 years for private property, running to age 65 on the income-weighted average age for joint borrowers, and the Loan-to-Value limits are the same as for freehold.
Where lease length starts to matter is much later in the lease, when the remaining term falls low enough to affect valuation and CPF usage. That is not a consideration at launch on a fresh 99-year lease.
CPF and the remaining lease
CPF may be used for a leasehold purchase where the remaining lease covers the youngest buyer to age 95. On a new launch this is comfortably satisfied. The rules tighten for older leasehold properties on the resale market.
How it affects the decision
At launch, tenure is largely a pricing input rather than a practical constraint: leasehold land is released at a different basis from freehold, and the market prices the two differently.
Impressions at Dairy Farm is a 99-year leasehold development, with the lease running from the Government Land Sale award on 22 January 2026. Financing detail is on the housing loan information page.