The practice is a tax avoidance arrangement to reduce the rightful ABSD payable on the purchase of a residential property.

Case highlights importance of proper documents and the need for exit strategies.

There is an average of 350 cases a year, where one spouse is listed as an owner and the other an essential occupier with no legal rights to the flat.

Not all joint owners are equal in law because the ones who pay for the properties, such as the parents, are deemed the real owners.

Maia (Mogul’s Artificial Intelligence Agent), as the AI bot is called, is the first of its kind in Singapore; app built with the buyer in mind to help him or her save time and cost.

Singapore's Monetary Authority (MAS) has introduced stricter regulations for real estate investment trusts (Reits) to encourage prudent borrowing while safeguarding investor interests. Announced on November 28, the changes include a new minimum interest coverage ratio (ICR) and a uniform leverage limit, alongside enhanced disclosure requirements for financial management.

Experts have expressed concerns regarding the development of a legal framework for joint real estate investment in Vietnam, despite new laws on land, housing, and real estate that took effect in August.

In a significant update to its Transcend 2027 strategy, Sunway Real Estate Investment Trust (Sun-REIT) is refocusing its portfolio towards retail, where it has historically thrived. 

Singapore-listed real asset manager CapitaLand Investment announced its intention to invest up to SGD150 million (US$110 million) in industrial land in Vietnam.

Sunway Property, a Malaysian property developer, has set a sales target of RM2.6 billion for 2024 after achieving sales of RM2.4 billion in 2023, exceeding its target of RM2.3 billion. 

The introduction of a tiered clawback rate for developers' additional buyer's stamp duty (ABSD) in Singapore is being viewed as a positive move for Malaysian property companies with ongoing developments in the city-state, namely Sunway Bhd and IOI Properties Group Bhd (IOIProp).

The recent hike in Malaysia's overnight policy rate (OPR) is anticipated to weaken the demand for property loans in the country.