Guidelines on the Application of Total Debt Servicing Ratio for Property Loans under MAS Notices 645, 1115, 831 and 128
Guidelines for all financial institutions on how to apply the total debt servicing ratio (TDSR) to property loans.
MAS' rules set out the minimum requirements for calculating a borrower's total debt servicing ratio (TDSR). Financial institutions (FIs) can adopt more conservative practices as long as they are compliant with MAS' rules.
If a borrower has an existing residential property loan and is taking a second loan to buy a property, their monthly loan obligations for the existing property can be excluded from the TDSR calculation in certain situations.
For this exclusion to apply, the borrower needs to meet these conditions:
Existing property | Borrower needs to provide |
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|
Both these documents:
|
|
Both these documents:
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A HDB flat that is being sold | A letter from the HDB approving the sale of the flat. |
The monthly repayment instalment can also be excluded if the borrower has discharged the outstanding loan for the existing property.
To calculate a borrower’s TDSR, use the following formula:
(Borrower's total monthly debt obligations / Borrower's gross monthly income) x 100%
Monthly debt includes all outstanding debt obligations:
FIs should calculate and confirm these obligations by:
When calculating the monthly interest payable, FIs should base their calculation on a medium-term interest rate.
FIs should apply the medium-term interest rate only to the property purchase loan or loan secured by property under application. It should not be applied to all property loans (including existing ones).
Type of loan | Interest rate |
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Residential property or secured by residential property |
Not less than 3.5% or the prevailing market interest rate, whichever is higher. |
Non-residential property or secured by non-residential property | Not less than 4.5% or the prevailing market interest rate, whichever is higher. |
Medium-term interest rates are used given the long-term nature of property loans. They also help ensure that borrowers are not overextended in their property purchases and are able to continue servicing their monthly repayments even when interest rates increase.
The medium-term interest rates applied to different types of properties reflect the differing risk premium associated with the types of properties.
If a borrower has a revolving loan, calculate the monthly debt obligations as follows:
Type of loan | Monthly debt obligation |
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Secured revolving loan | Apply the medium term interest rate to the amount drawn down by the borrower. |
Unsecured revolving loan | Use the minimum due from the borrower. |
Base these calculations on the latest available statement for the revolving loan. If the borrower is unable to provide a copy of the statement, apply the applicable monthly interest rate of the loan on the total credit limit instead.
Gross monthly income refers to the borrower's monthly income before tax, and excludes any CPF contribution made by the employer.
FIs are required to apply a minimum haircut of 30% to:
In addition, FIs can include certain eligible financial assets. These are subject to haircuts and an amortisation schedule over 48 months.
For variable income, FIs should take the average of the monthly variable income earned in the preceding 12 months.
FIs must verify the rental income with a copy of the stamped tenancy agreement. The agreement must:
When including "income streams" from eligible financial assets in TDSR, FIs must apply:
The types of eligible assets and respective haircuts are as follows:
Eligible financial assets | Pledged for at least 4 years | Unpledged, or pledged for less than 4 years |
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Liquid assets
|
Minimum 0% haircut |
Minimum 70% haircut |
Other financial assets
|
Minimum 30% haircut |
Minimum 70% haircut |
Note: For unpledged assets, FIs must also ensure that the assets are still accounted for in the borrower’s bank account statements before disbursing funds under the property loan. This is to ensure that the unpledged assets used in the TDSR computation do not include funds used in making the downpayment for the property loan.