CRM Property Consultant

14/08/2026

14Aug2026 - Rethinking 99-1 deals

Three key lessons emerge from the Court of Appeal’s decision:

(1) legal ownership and beneficial ownership are not always identical;

(2) the parties’ intentions at the time of acquisition are critical; and

(3) ownership structures adopted to facilitate the evasion of stamp duty or ABSD may be tainted by illegality, potentially rendering trust claims arising from those arrangements unenforceable.

The recent decision of the Court of Appeal of Singapore in WMLM v NSRJ [2026] SGCA 27 is one of the most significant property law judgments concerning 99:1 ownership structures, resulting trusts, and beneficial ownership of residential property. The judgment provides important guidance for purchaser...

14/08/2026

14Aug2026 - New rules for property agents likely to w**d out inactive ones, help consumers make better decisions

From the start of next year, property agents will have to complete at least three transactions over three years, or pass a refresher examination to remain in the industry. The Council for Estate Agencies (CEA) will also start collecting agents’ commission data monthly, and may publish aggregated i...

09/08/2026

29Jul2026 - ABSD deadline extended for large collective sale projects to facilitate redevelopment

Developers of large residential collective sale sites will get more time to sell units in the project, under changes to the additional buyer’s stamp duty (ABSD) regime that are meant to facilitate the redevelopment of such sites. Announcing this on July 28, National Development Minister Chee Hong ...

09/08/2026

ABSD changes aside, mega collective sale sites must be priced realistically to attract developers:

While most analysts say that these changes give developers more time to sell down large projects, that alone is not enough to spur a wave of risk-taking on mega sites.

“Developers already have no shortage of choice. There is a healthy pipeline of Government Land Sales (GLS) sites to bid on, with more realistic market pricing and timelines,” Ng said.

“Ultimately, it comes down to the owners’ pricing expectations. A longer timeline doesn’t offset an unrealistic reserve price from owners. Developers will simply look away,” he added.

“Developers generally prefer GLS sites due to greater transaction certainty with the Government as the only seller,” she said.

GLS sites are currently providing about 7,500 to 8,000 private condominium units in annual supply.

Hopefully, the ABSD regime changes will encourage the rejuvenation of ageing estates and intensify land use where needed, as well as offer a viable exit to ageing projects, especially the massive ones.

The significant extension of a critical sales deadline for developers of large collective sale sites to up to seven years should help reduce their sales and ex*****on risks in undertaking mega redevelopment projects. But for the collective sales market to gain traction, the sites themselves must als...

02/08/2026

2Aug2026 - Couple’s 3 homes co-owned with their kids can still be shared during divorce

Generous gifts of real estate and cash to children may still be included in the matrimonial pool and shared by the parents in a divorce, as a couple in their 70s with close to $20 million in assets found out. While married for over 40 years, they bought two properties in London and put each of their...

17/07/2026

17Jul2026 - $3b money laundering case: Conveyancing lawyer charged with forgery over property purchase

In a statement on July 16, the police said that Chan, who is from Sterling Law, had acted as the conveyancing lawyer for the purchase of a commercial property in Amoy Street and a residential unit located at South Beach Residences.

“These properties were purchased by the spouse of Su Yongcan, who is one of the absconded foreign nationals investigated by the police in the major anti-money laundering case,” the police said.

They added that she had allegedly conspired with an employee of the law firm to forge a “Know Your Client” form in December 2023 in the purchase of the unit at South Beach Residences.

The form is a due diligence questionnaire used by financial, legal and insurance institutions as part of anti-money laundering obligations.

A conveyancing lawyer was charged with forgery on July 16, with court documents linking her alleged actions to an associate of one of the 10 foreigners convicted in the $3 billion money laundering case. Chan I-Fei Julia, 61, is said to have abetted Lim Lai Hong to create a false document that was si...

16/07/2026

17July2026 - Freesia Woods condo management ordered to compensate couple over termite infestation

Freesia Woods’ management corporation strata title (MCST) has been ordered to compensate a couple after a court found that its failure to prevent termite infestation in the common property had led to damage in their home.

The court awarded Glenford Tan Ming Loon and his wife Vivien Loo Hwee-Wen $10,978 for repair costs and ordered the MCST to pay over $42,000 in legal costs and disbursements incurred in the lawsuit.

Freesia Woods’ management corporation strata title (MCST) has been ordered to compensate a couple after a court found that its failure to prevent termite infestation in the common property had led to damage in their home. The court awarded Glenford Tan Ming Loon and his wife Vivien Loo Hwee-Wen $1...

13/07/2026

14July2026 ~ For tax avoidance, once found out, Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore will levy 50% more of income tax one is originally supposed to pay

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IRAS nabs 279 high-income earners over sham arrangements to pay less tax

The taxman has caught 279 high-income earners to date for using sham arrangements such as setting up private companies to receive their income to avoid paying more tax. Out of this group, the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) probed 124 cases from 2021 to 2025 and clawed back $49 million....

10/07/2026

Supermarket and minimart chain Hao Mart faces fifth High Court lawsuit

Supermarket and minimart chain Hao Mart is facing a fifth High Court lawsuit, with hair and scalp care company Bio Organicare Scalp suing the retailer in what court records describe as a landlord-tenant dispute. The matter has been fixed for a case conference on July 16. Department store operator OG...

10/07/2026

10July2026 - Air-con row between night-shift nurse and HDB landlord ends with $1,536 court award for tenant

https://www.singaporelawwatch.sg/Headlines/Air-con-row-between-night-shift-nurse-and-HDB-landlord-ends-with-1536-court-award-for-tenant