The Land Registry in Singapore

The Singapore Land Title Act

The Singapore Land Register has been enabled under the Land Titles Act, however, there is also the Register of Deeds for Common Law which falls under the regulations of the Registration of Deeds Act. Both Land Registers co-exist and are supervised by the Singapore Land Authority. For information about the legislation on property legislation you can ask our lawyers in Singapore.

The Singapore Land Register

The Land Registry was created in 2001 and is responsible for the following:

• -          issuing property titles,
• -          issuing certificates of titles for land parcels sold by the State,
• -          issuing new title certificates for land developments.

The Singapore Land Register is strongly connected to the Housing and Development Board (HDB) as all buildings, condominiums and flats built by the HDB must first obtain approval from the Land Authority. The Land Registry in Singapore will also re-issue certificates in case of destruction. The institution is in charge with changing the ownership of a property when a person inherits it as per the provisions of a will.  

In case of real estate due diligence procedures one can conduct a search on the property at the Land Register in Singapore or at the Integrated Land Information Service. While research in the Integrated Land Information Service is done electronically, searches conducted through the Land Register must be done manually. The Singapore Land Registry handles the following transactions:

• -          registration of land plots, bungalows and houses,
• -          apartments, both private and owned by the State,
• -          commercial and industrial properties owned by Singapore companies.

One can find information about the owner of the property and if the real estate is subject to any encumbrances.

The Singapore Registration of Deeds Department

The Registration of Deeds Department handles the registration of Singapore properties purchased under the Common Law. However, property registration in Singapore is mainly done online with the Land Register nowadays. Even if it is not necessary to register a property under the Registration of Deeds Act but it is advisable to so for security reasons. This type of registration is very useful in litigation cases in Singapore.

If you need real estate due diligence services or help in purchasing a property you can ask for the services of our law firm in Singapore. You can also contact us if you want to set up a company in Singapore.