99-year lease start date: count the years left at handover

A 99-year lease on a new launch can start years before you collect your keys, so the lease commencement date is worth asking for at the first visit. The clearest current example is in the factsheet published on 15 October 2026 for Thomson Reserve: "99 years commencing from 14 July 2026", with an estimated vacant possession date of 28 February 2031. By the time owners move in, about four years and seven months of the lease will have run, leaving about 94 years and four months (our arithmetic).

That gap is not a flaw. Our reading is that it follows from how leasehold projects work: the lease comes with the land, which the developer holds before the building exists. This page shows where to find the start date, how to count the years left at each milestone, how some freehold projects compare, and when the lease starts to matter for CPF.

When does a new launch's 99-year lease start?

The developer's documents should say. Thomson Reserve's factsheet states the date outright. For government land sales, URA's award releases, such as the 18 September 2026 award at Lorong Puntong / Sin Ming Avenue, say only that the site "was offered for sale on a 99-year lease term". They do not give a start date, and we have not assumed one.

Where to look and what to ask:

1. The factsheet or brochure: look for "Tenure" or "Land tenure" with a commencement date, as Thomson Reserve's has.
2. The legal notes on the developer's website: Far East's page for The Serra Residences lists tenure, expected vacant possession and expected legal completion together.
3. The sale documents: URA's buying property guidance says licensed developers must use the standard Sale and Purchase Agreement. Ask your lawyer to confirm the tenure and its start in the documents for your unit.

How many years are left at each milestone?

A worked count for Thomson Reserve, from the factsheet's dates (our arithmetic; the lease would end on 13 July 2125):

• At the sales launch on 31 October 2026: about 98 years and eight months left.
• At estimated vacant possession on 28 February 2031: about 94 years and four months left.
• For a buyer aged 35 at purchase in 2026: the lease would still have about 39 years left when that buyer turns 95 in 2086.

The same method works for any project: subtract the time from the lease start to the milestone you care about. If a sales team cannot give you the start date, write "lease start unconfirmed" in your notes rather than assuming it began at TOP.

Does the lease start matter for using CPF?

Rarely for a brand-new launch, often for an older resale. CPF Board's page on leases that do not reach age 95 (last updated 6 July 2026) says you can use a pro-rated amount of CPF if the remaining lease is at least 20 years but does not cover the youngest buyer to age 95. Its example: two 25-year-old buyers of a flat with 65 years left, priced at S$550,000, can use up to S$495,000, because the lease ends when they are 90.

For a new launch whose lease began recently, the remaining lease at purchase is close to 99 years, so the age-95 test is usually met with room to spare. It becomes a live question mainly when you compare a new launch with an older leasehold resale, where far fewer years may remain.

How do freehold and 99-year projects compare on tenure?

As each developer states them:

• Thomson Reserve: 99 years from 14 July 2026; vacant possession estimated 28 February 2031.
• The Serra Residences: freehold; vacant possession expected 1 September 2031; legal completion expected 1 September 2034.
• Newport Residences: freehold, per CDL.
• Lucerne Grand and Amberwood at Holland: the developer pages we read on 16 and 17 October 2026 did not state tenure in their text. Ask.

Freehold is not automatically better or worse for a household; it is a different trade-off between price, location and how long you plan to stay. This page does not recommend one.

Questions to ask the sales team

1. What is the lease commencement date, and where is it written?
2. What are the expected vacant possession and legal completion dates in the Sale and Purchase Agreement, and do they match the brochure?
3. How many years of lease will remain at vacant possession?

Record the answers in your project comparison, next to the payment schedule and the unit comparison. For the next homes near Bright Hill, see our Lorong Puntong site note; for gallery visits, our sales galleries guide. More side-by-side guides sit under comparisons.

Common questions