Financing guides
What does 99-year leasehold mean?
Every private home built on government land — One Chuan Grove included — is sold with 99 years on the clock. The clock usually started before you were offered a unit. Here is what that actually changes.
By Melvin Tan, CEA R026686A, ERA Realty Network Pte Ltd · Last updated 10 November 2026
Freehold versus leasehold?
Freehold: you buy the land and building outright, indefinitely. Leasehold: the developer itself holds a finite term from the state, and you buy a slice of whatever remains. When you buy an One Chuan Grove unit in 2027 you will not get 99 fresh years; the count started when the joint venture's sites were awarded — the first parcel's tender closed on 8 July 2025 (URA pr24-57). At a first-quarter 2027 launch that leaves roughly 97 years, not 99. Verify the exact term in the sale and purchase agreement.
Why does this appear in every listing?
Because banks price it. A housing loan cannot run past the lease with the land it funds. But the practical ceiling is tighter than you think: under MAS's housing-loan rules, private-property loans top out at 35 years. With 97 years left, One Chuan Grove's tenure clears every bank's clock with roughly six decades to spare.
Does remaining term affect my mortgage?
Not in any way you can plan around at this tenure. What does bind you is MAS's loan-to-value rule: with no prior property loans you may borrow up to 75 percent of the property value, with a minimum 5 percent cash downpayment. That part runs below in the payment guide.
| Item | Figure | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Awarded Jul/Sep 2025 | 2025–2026 | URA site releases |
| ≈97 years | Derived | 99-yr lease arithmetic |
| 35 years | 35 years | MAS housing-loan rules |
So what is the actual risk?
Not expiry. Three subtler issues. Lenders and valuers shave appraisals as term burns down; a unit sold with 97 years remaining sits nowhere near that cliff. Second, every resale buyer in 2060 will inherit your clock — a math problem, not a habitability one. Third, leasehold towers are often newer; the estate you can drive past today, Chuan Park, was launched in November 2024 and is still under construction. That wait-vs-own-now question is covered in the wait-versus-buy guide.
Common questions
Asked in the project FAQ style: this guide exists because leasehold confuses buyers more than the math justifies. If a site quotes you "from $1.4M" pricing, nothing published supports it; treat every One Chuan Grove price, plan, and orientation as unconfirmed until the sale and purchase agreement exists. That rule is why this page cites everything — the development structure, the targeted preview, and the land-cost explainer all follow it.