SINGAPORE: A woman is seeking advice online after losing the 10% CPF down payment she contributed to a Build-To-Order flat she applied for with her ex-partner, who later cheated on her.
“I would like to ask if there is any way for me to recover the CPF used for the 10% downpayment after the BTO has been cancelled,” she wrote on the r/asksg forum on Monday (Mar 2). “Has anyone experienced something similar before? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.”
Providing context, she wrote in her post that before everything went south, she and her 31-year-old ex had been together for four years and were planning a future together. They had applied for a flat, signed the Agreement for Lease, and each chipped in their 10% downpayment using CPF savings.
Everything seemed set for the next chapter in their lives.
However, that all came crashing down when her ex suddenly announced that he wanted “freedom” and ended the relationship. It didn’t take long for her to find out the truth. “I found out that he had been cheating on me with his 26-year-old colleague, who also had a boyfriend at the time, and they themselves also had a BTO together.”
After the breakup, her ex went ahead and cancelled their BTO application. “He initiated the cancellation of our BTO and informed HDB that we were facing financial difficulties and requested a waiver/refund. However, HDB rejected the request as it was clear that we were not facing financial difficulties. He has since married that female [colleague].”
“It’s good that he showed his true colours now.”
In the comments, many Singaporean Redditors told the woman that she can no longer recover the downpayment.
One user wrote, “Doubt you can claim back, have encountered several similar situations amongst my friends and it was a given to forfeit the any downpayment. They saw it as a penalty fee for their freedom as opposed to getting married with their exes and then spending on the house/wedding just to end up getting trapped. They never looked back, and I wish the same for you!”
Another commented, “You cannot claim it. This is why you don’t anyhow BTO. This is the terms and conditions. Back then, that’s how my father pressure my mother to marry him; they ended up divorcing.”
A third added, “Think about it in a positive way, it’s good that he showed his true colours now instead of 5 or 10 years down the road. Consequences will be so much worse after kids.”
Some users, however, believed she might be able to recover half of her downpayment.
One said, “Cancel BTO after signing the agreement only loses 5% of the flat price, not 10%. Sorry to hear about your 5% loss, but in all honesty, you are lucky you dodged a bullet. I already married my ex and had a baby before he cheated and abandoned us.”
What happens if a couple decides to cancel their BTO?
According to Singapore Legal Advice, if a couple cancels their BTO after signing the Agreement for Lease but before collecting the keys, they will lose the $10 application fee, the option fee, and 5% of the flat’s purchase price.
Moreover, couples can’t just jump straight into applying for another flat. They have to wait one year from the cancellation date before submitting a new BTO application. They also need to make sure all the forfeited fees have been fully paid before they try again.
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