RES Study Notes
Short explainers for the Singapore RES exam: the rule, the trap examiners set, and the takeaway to remember. 54 lessons, grouped by the 15 topics in the question bank, so you can read the lesson for the topic you keep getting wrong.
Stuck on the legal English in Paper 1? The exam glossary explains 86 terms, from fee simple to rescission, in plain English with the trap in each.
120 days to Paper 1 · Sat 13 Mar 2027. Paper 2 · Sun 14 Mar 2027.
Start here
The Property Market & Government Intervention (Singapore)
Real Estate Market & Government Intervention · 17 min
54 lessons in all. 1 a day finishes them by 6 Mar, leaving the last week for timed mocks.
Paper 1 — Real Estate Law
Real Estate Market & Government Intervention
Practise- The Property Market & Government Intervention (Singapore)17 min · How Singapore's property market works for the RES exam: slow supply, REITs vs direct property, and the demand- and supply-side levers the government uses.
- Property Valuation: The 5 Methods (with worked examples)11 min · The five property valuation methods for the RES exam: comparison, investment, cost, residual and profits. When each applies, with worked calculations.
Basic Land Law: Estates & Registration of Title
Practise- Fee Simple vs Estate in Perpetuity vs 99-Year Leasehold10 min · Fee simple is freehold with no end date. Estate in perpetuity is a State grant with no end date, treated like freehold. How both compare to 99-year leases.
- Fixtures vs Chattels: Degree and Purpose of Annexation10 min · Degree vs purpose of annexation: the two tests that make an item a fixture or a chattel, what passes to the buyer on a sale, and a tenant's trade fixtures.
- Restrictions on Capacity to Hold Land — Minors, Companies, Societies & the Mental Capacity Act10 min · Who can hold land in Singapore, for the RES exam: minors, societies and partnerships that need trustees, and how the Mental Capacity Act and LPAs work.
- Joint Tenancy vs Tenancy-in-Common (Singapore)11 min · The two ways to co-own property in Singapore, joint tenancy and tenancy-in-common: how survivorship works and the inheritance trap RES candidates miss.
- Caveats and Registration of Title16 min · How Singapore's Torrens system registers land, why registered title is indefeasible, and how a caveat protects a buyer after exercising an OTP. For RES.
- Easements, Restrictive Covenants & Encumbrances in Singapore13 min · Rights over another's land for the RES exam: easements, restrictive covenants, profits and encroachment. What binds successors, and what to check on title.
- BSMA & MCST Explained: Subsidiary Proprietors, By-Laws17 min · BSMA is the Building (Strata Management) Act 2004, formerly the BMSMA. What a subsidiary proprietor owns, what the MCST does, share value and by-laws.
- State Land, Land Betterment Charge, TOL and Encroachment15 min · The State as ultimate landlord in Singapore, for the RES exam: State leases and reversion, the Land Betterment Charge, TOLs and compulsory acquisition.
- Foreign Ownership & the Residential Property Act11 min · How the Residential Property Act limits foreign ownership in Singapore, which homes need LDAU approval, Sentosa Cove, and ABSD for foreigners. For RES.
- Trusts, Gifts, Succession & Future Interests in Property17 min · How Singapore property is held on trust, gifted or passed on death, for the RES exam: legal vs beneficial ownership, ABSD on trusts, wills and intestacy.
Law of Contract & Agency
Practise- Contract & Agency Law for the RES Exam26 min · Contract and agency law for the RES exam: what makes a contract valid, an agent's authority and fiduciary duties, and the misrepresentation trap.
- Misrepresentation & an Estate Agent's Liability13 min · What counts as actionable misrepresentation, the three types and their remedies, and why 'I only repeated the seller' is no defence for a RES salesperson.
- Remedies for Breach of a Property Contract12 min · What each side can do when a property deal fails: damages, specific performance, rescission vs termination, and forfeiting the deposit. For the RES exam.
- RES Section B, Paper 1: How to Work a Case Study10 min · How RES Section B works (20 questions × 2 marks), how to read a long scenario, and worked Paper 1 cases on agency, tenancy and contract formation.
Landlord & Tenant Law
Practise- Lease vs Licence in Singapore (and a Mortgagee's Power of Sale)9 min · What separates a lease from a licence in Singapore (exclusive possession) and how a mortgagee's power of sale works. Key RES Paper 1 land-law concepts.
- Landlord & Tenant Law: Covenants, Quiet Enjoyment & Forfeiture13 min · The rights and duties in every tenancy, for the RES exam: implied covenants, repair, use and subletting clauses, and ending a lease for breach.
Property Torts, Mortgages & Co-ownership
PractisePlanning & Development Control
Practise- Planning & Development Control: URA Master Plan, Zoning, GFA19 min · How the URA Master Plan, zoning, plot ratio and GFA control land use in Singapore, home-based business rules, and the plot-ratio trap in the RES exam.
- Planning Permission, Enforcement & Building Control10 min · For the RES exam: when a change of use needs URA permission, how short stays and serviced apartments are controlled, enforcement, appeals and BCA control.
Paper 2 — Regulation, Practice & Transactions
Regulation of the Estate Agency Industry
Practise- Estate Agent Licensing vs Salesperson Registration (CEA)19 min · Why estate agencies are licensed but salespersons are registered under the Estate Agents Act: the KEO, indemnity insurance and CEA dispute resolution.
- CEA Forms 1–8 Explained: Estate Agency Agreements & Commission20 min · The prescribed CEA estate agency agreements (Forms 1–8) for the RES exam: exclusive vs non-exclusive, how commission is agreed and paid, and co-broking.
- CPD & Professional Indemnity Insurance for RES7 min · RES renewal rules: 16 CPD training hours a year, the Currency Requirement and three-year cycle from 1 Jan 2027, and PII minimums in regulations 13–14.
- Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act (CPFTA)8 min · When the CPFTA applies to property for the RES exam: residential leases and agency services are in, buying land is out. Unfair practices and CCS.
Professional Practice, Ethics & Conduct
Practise- CEA Code of Ethics & Professional Conduct19 min · The CEA Code of Ethics and Professional Client Care every Singapore agent must follow, including the regulation 7 ban on holding transaction money.
- Dual Representation & Conflict of Interest (RES)13 min · Why a property agent can't act for both sides of the same deal in Singapore, how the CEA Code handles lesser conflicts, and the RES exam's disclosure trap.
- Professional Practice, Ethical Dilemmas & Conduct Towards Other Agents11 min · The 2027 RES syllabus unit 3.2: professionalism, integrity, ethical dilemmas, privacy and CEA's 2023 guidelines on how agents treat each other, with the paragraphs CEA charges.
Anti-Money Laundering (PMLPFTF)
Practise- AML/CFT for Property Agents: CDD, Source of Funds & STR15 min · Anti-money-laundering duties for Singapore property agents: customer due diligence, beneficial owners, source of funds and STR filing. Key for RES Paper 2.
- AML Laws, Reporting Duties & Risk Assessment (CDSA, TSOFA, UN Act)9 min · The 2027 RES syllabus unit 3.4 beyond CDD: which law imposes which reporting duty, to whom and how fast, reassessing existing clients, red flags, and the penalties.
Real Estate Marketing & Advertising Rules
Practise- Property Marketing: Listings & Advertising Rules (Singapore)22 min · Property marketing for the RES exam: 4Ps and STP, the buying decision, market research, listings, methods of sale, Code para 12, co-broking, PDPA and DNC.
- CEA Ethical Advertising Guidelines: What Every Property Ad Must Show13 min · CEA's advertising guidelines for the RES exam: what every property ad must show, owner consent, banned phrases, dummy ads and the agency's duty to vet ads.
- Marketing Commercial, Industrial & Conservation Properties23 min · Marketing offices, shops, shophouses and industrial units for the RES exam: GST, ABSD, B1/B2 zoning, JTC approvals, URA conservation and Green Mark.
- Green Mark & Green Leases (2027 RES Syllabus)10 min · New in the 2027 RES syllabus (unit 3.9): what BCA's Green Mark certifies, its tiers and 3-year validity, when green standards are law, and the six green-lease clause areas.
Sale of Private Properties (New, Resale & En Bloc)
Practise- OTP Singapore: Option to Purchase Fee, Period & Exercise11 min · How an OTP works in a Singapore private sale: the option fee, the option period, exercising the Option to Purchase, and the deposit-forfeiture trap.
- Sale of Uncompleted Private Property (New Launches)22 min · How developers sell new launches in Singapore for RES Paper 2: sale licences, prescribed OTP and S&P forms, booking fee, progressive payments, TOP vs CSC.
- En Bloc, Auction & the Private Sale Process (Singapore)25 min · How private property is sold in Singapore, for the RES exam: private treaty, auction and tender, resale conveyancing, new launches, subsales and en bloc.
HDB Transactions: Sale & Rental
Practise- HDB Eligibility Schemes Explained (Family, Fiancé, Single)17 min · How you qualify to buy an HDB flat: the Public/Family, Fiancé/Fiancée and Single Singapore Citizen schemes, citizenship and income rules, and the RES trap.
- CPF Housing Grants & the HDB Resale Process19 min · CPF housing grants and HDB resale for the RES exam: first-timer eligibility, the resale portal flow, and how HDB's OTP differs from a private OTP.
- HDB MOP: How Long Is the Minimum Occupation Period (5 Years)11 min · How long the HDB Minimum Occupation Period lasts (5 years; 10 for Plus and Prime flats), whether resale flats have one, and the renting and selling traps.
- HDB Ethnic Integration Policy (EIP) & SPR Quota7 min · How HDB's Ethnic Integration Policy and SPR quota work, why an eligible buyer can still be blocked from a resale flat, and how the RES exam tests it.
- HDB Standard, Plus & Prime Flats (the New Classification Framework)10 min · HDB flat classifications from the Oct 2024 BTO exercise: Standard, Plus and Prime replace mature and non-mature estates. MOP, subsidy recovery, resale.
- Renting Out an HDB Flat or Room: Approval, Quota, Tenants7 min · How HDB owners may rent out a whole flat or bedrooms: who may let, MOP, HDB approval, tenant and occupant caps, the Non-Citizen Quota, tenant eligibility and the agent's money rule.
- Executive Condominiums (ECs): MOP, Privatisation and the May 2026 Changes11 min · How Executive Condominiums work for the RES exam: eligibility and the income ceiling, the MOP, privatisation, and the May 2026 changes for new EC sites.
- Monetising an HDB Flat for Retirement: LBS, Silver Housing Bonus & Right-Sizing17 min · How an elderly HDB owner turns a flat into retirement income: the Lease Buyback Scheme, Silver Housing Bonus, right-sizing and renting out. RES exam notes.
Leasing of Private Residential Property
Practise- Leasing Private Residential Property (Singapore)24 min · Leasing private homes in Singapore for the RES exam: key tenancy clauses, lease stamp duty, URA minimum rental period and occupancy rules, and how it ends.
- Commercial & Industrial Leasing (rent review, service charge, JTC)17 min · How commercial, retail and industrial leases differ from homes, for the RES exam: base vs turnover rent, rent reviews, service charge, fit-out, JTC rules.
Property Taxes (BSD, ABSD, SSD)
Practise- Stamp Duties Explained: BSD, ABSD & SSD (Singapore, 2026)24 min · Singapore's three property stamp duties for the RES exam: Buyer's Stamp Duty, Additional Buyer's Stamp Duty and Seller's Stamp Duty, and the traps set.
- Decoupling & ABSD in Singapore: How It Works (and the Traps)8 min · What property decoupling is, how couples use it to save ABSD on a second home, what it costs, and why it fails for HDB flats. A RES Paper 2 favourite.
- Property Tax, GST & Tenancy Stamp Duty in Singapore19 min · Property tax, rental income tax, GST and tenancy stamp duty for the RES exam: owner-occupier vs investment rates, deductible expenses, when GST applies.
Property Finance & Financial Calculations
Practise- Property Financing in Singapore: LTV, TDSR & MSR15 min · How Singapore caps property loans: Loan-to-Value (LTV), TDSR and MSR, and the RES exam trap of applying MSR to private property.
- Home Loan Rate Types & Refinancing (fixed, floating, SORA)9 min · Home-loan products for the RES exam: HDB concessionary vs bank loans, fixed vs floating rates, SORA (which replaced SIBOR/SOR), refinancing vs repricing.
- HDB Fire Insurance & Home Protection Scheme (HPS) Explained9 min · HDB fire insurance: compulsory with an HDB loan, a 5-year Etiqa policy from $1.11, what it covers vs home insurance, and how CPF's HPS differs.
- RES Section B, Paper 2: Worked Property and Finance Cases8 min · Worked RES Paper 2 Section B cases: OTP and SSD, HDB resale with CPF, BSD and ABSD on a second home, and TDSR, MSR and LTV on one loan.