Charity proposes lower age eligibility for Lease Buyback Scheme, one-stop retirement planning platform

Leap201 suggested lowering the eligibility age for the Lease Buyback Scheme in phases, from 65 to 55.

Published Sep 09, 2026, 06:31 PM

Updated Sep 09, 2026, 06:31 PM

SINGAPORE - Allowing seniors to tap the Lease Buyback Scheme at a younger age , and setting up a one-stop platform to make retirement planning less intimidating, were among the policy recommendations by charity Leap201.

Their proposals were drawn up after a survey of 1,000 seniors aged 50 to 59, and seek to plug existing gaps in retirement planning . They were discussed during a roundtable with representatives from various sectors - including public, private and academia - on Sept 9.

The seniors who were surveyed lived in three-room flats and about 80 per cent had a monthly income of below $5,000. Leap201 considered this group to be lower income, as their income was below the median of full-time workers .

The survey, conducted with research firm Verian, found that 60 per cent of respondents would consider selling part of their flat’s lease back to HDB to supplement their retirement income, but were not yet eligible to do so.

To this end, Leap201 suggested lowering the eligibility age for the Lease Buyback Scheme in phases, from 65 to 55.

The charity noted that at present, those aged 55 to 64 can right-size with the Silver Housing Bonus - under which seniors can get up to $40,000 in cash - or apply for a community care apartment, but cannot take up the Lease Buyback Scheme.

It also proposed “a more seamless pathway” for owners who tap the scheme to move to a community care apartment, such as by transferring their remaining lease over.

At present, flat owners who make use of the Lease Buyback Scheme cannot sell their flats on the open market. If they wish to terminate their lease early, they will have to return the flat to HDB and receive a refund for the remaining lease.

Under the scheme , households can choose to retain lease lengths from 15 to 35 years – in increments of five years – as long as the remaining lease covers the flat’s youngest owner until the age of 95. The proceeds will be used to top up their CPF Retirement Account.

Leap201 chairman Michael Lien said on Sept 9 that he believes that lower income Singaporeans can be further supported in retirement planning.

“We recommend that they be given HDB monetisation options earlier in their life and easier access to their full financial outlook. This will give them more time to choose how much longer they work, if they monetise their housing and where they age,” he said.

Sing Tien Foo, provost’s chair professor of real estate at NUS Business School, who was part of the roundtable discussion, said lowering the eligibility age for the Lease Buyback Scheme would allow home owners to unlock more value out of their flats.

This is because a property’s value at the tail-end of its lease would have depreciated, he said.

Sing noted that currently, flat owners are “locked in” if they tap the scheme, but they may not consider that their health could deteriorate as they age and they may need to downsize .

He said he agreed with the proposal for more flexibility for homeowners to move to a community care apartment - flats that come with senior-friendly fittings and other health and community services.

Sociologist Tan Ern Ser, an adjunct principal research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies, said seniors tend to postpone decision-making about retirement, hence the relatively low take-up rate for the Lease Buyback Scheme.

In August 2024, HDB said the take-up rate of the scheme remained steady at an average of 1,680 households annually over the last five years, and the vast majority of households received between $100,000 and $300,000 in proceeds.

By end-2024, 13,734 households had taken up the scheme.

The charity’s survey also found that 64 per cent of respondents felt under-prepared for retirement and were concerned about finances, caregiving responsibilities and employment security.

Leap201 suggested having a one-stop retirement planning platform to consolidate information and options - about housing, care and work - into one place.

It also proposed making it mandatory for employers to offer at least two days of family care leave for all employees , as 50 per cent of working caregivers report stress or burnout from work. But some panelists pointed out that two days could be insufficient and suggested flexible leave or work.

Other panelists included NTUC assistant secretary-general Patrick Tay, economist Walter Theseira, and Nominated MP Terence Ho.

Jolene Chen, managing director of Leap201, said a key takeaway from the discussion was that seniors want flexibility - whether in terms of leave or monetising their flat.

She said the panelist’s suggestions will be incorporated into a white paper, which will be released in the fourth quarter of 2026.

Subsequently, the charity will continue their engagement with government agencies and practitioners to explore pilot policy efforts, such as the retirement planning platform, she added.

Isabelle Liew is a journalist at The Straits Times. She covers housing issues in Singapore, with a focus on public housing.

Leap201 建议分阶段降低租赁回购计划的资格年龄，从 65 岁降至 55 岁。

发布于 2026 年 9 月 9 日下午 6:31

更新于2026年9月9日下午6:31

新加坡——慈善机构 Leap201 提出的政策建议包括：允许老年人在更年轻的时候使用租赁回购计划，以及建立一个一站式平台，使退休规划不再那么令人生畏。

他们的提案是在对1000名50至59岁的老年人进行调查后制定的，旨在弥补退休规划方面的现有不足。9月9日，来自公共、私营部门和学术界等各个领域的代表举行了圆桌会议，讨论了这些提案。

接受调查的老年人居住在三房式组屋中，约 80% 的人月收入低于 5000 美元。Leap201 认为这一群体属于低收入群体，因为他们的收入低于全职工作者的收入中位数。

这项与研究公司 Verian 联合进行的调查发现，60% 的受访者会考虑将部分组屋租赁权卖回给建屋发展局 (HDB) 以补充退休收入，但他们目前还没有资格这样做。

为此，Leap201 建议分阶段降低租赁回购计划的资格年龄，从 65 岁降至 55 岁。

该慈善机构指出，目前 55 至 64 岁的人可以通过“银龄住房奖励计划”（老年人可获得高达 40,000 美元的现金）来调整住房规模，或者申请社区护理公寓，但不能参加“租赁回购计划”。

它还提议为利用该计划搬到社区护理公寓的业主提供“更顺畅的途径”，例如通过转让剩余的租赁权。

目前，使用租赁回购计划的组屋业主不能在公开市场上出售其组屋。如果他们希望提前终止租赁合同，则必须将组屋归还给建屋发展局（HDB），并获得剩余租赁期限的退款。

根据该计划，住户可以选择保留15至35年的租赁期限（以5年为增量），只要剩余的租赁期限能够覆盖该组屋中最年轻的业主直至95岁即可。所得款项将用于补充他们的公积金退休账户。

Leap201 主席 Michael Lien 于 9 月 9 日表示，他认为可以进一步支持低收入新加坡人在退休规划方面获得帮助。

“我们建议让他们更早地获得建屋发展局（HDB）的房产变现选项，并更容易了解自己的整体财务状况。这将使他们有更多时间选择继续工作多久、是否变现房产以及在哪里养老，”他说道。

新加坡国立大学商学院房地产学教务长讲席教授宋天福（Sing Tien Foo）参与了圆桌讨论，他表示，降低租赁回购计划的资格年龄将使房屋所有者能够从他们的公寓中释放更多价值。

他说，这是因为房产在租赁期末的价值会贬值。

Sing指出，目前，如果组屋业主使用该计划，他们就“被锁定”了，但他们可能没有考虑到随着年龄增长，他们的健康状况可能会恶化，他们可能需要缩小住房面积。

他表示同意给予房主更大的灵活性，让他们可以搬到社区护理公寓——这种公寓配备了适合老年人的设施以及其他健康和社区服务。

社会学家陈恩瑟（Tan Ern Ser）是政策研究所的兼职首席研究员，他表示，老年人往往会推迟有关退休的决定，因此租赁回购计划的参与率相对较低。

2024 年 8 月，建屋发展局表示，过去五年该计划的参与率保持稳定，平均每年有 1680 户家庭参与，绝大多数家庭获得了 10 万至 30 万美元的收益。

截至 2024 年底，已有 13,734 户家庭参与了该计划。

该慈善机构的调查还发现，64%的受访者感到退休准备不足，并对财务状况、照顾责任和就业保障感到担忧。

Leap201 建议建立一个一站式退休规划平台，将有关住房、护理和工作的信息和选择整合到一个地方。

该报告还建议强制雇主为所有员工提供至少两天的家庭照护假，因为50%的在职照护者表示工作压力大或精疲力竭。但一些专家组成员指出，两天可能不够，并建议实行灵活的休假或工作安排。

其他小组成员包括全国职工总会助理秘书长郑德源、经济学家沃尔特·特塞拉和官委议员何志强。

Leap201 的董事总经理 Jolene Chen 表示，此次讨论的一个关键结论是，老年人希望在休假或将公寓变现方面拥有灵活性。

她表示，专家组成员的建议将被纳入一份白皮书中，该白皮书将于 2026 年第四季度发布。

她补充说，随后该慈善机构将继续与政府机构和从业人员合作，探索试点政策举措，例如退休规划平台。

Isabelle Liew是《海峡时报》的记者，主要报道新加坡的住房问题，尤其关注公共住房。