What does freehold tenure mean at The Arcady at Boon Keng?
Published · Insights & News
The Arcady at Boon Keng is freehold, which the developer's brochure describes as an estate in perpetuity. In plain terms, the ownership interest has no fixed end date, whereas a 99-year leasehold is granted for a set term that runs from the start of the lease.
Freehold tenure at The Arcady at Boon Keng in plain terms
Tenure describes how long an owner's interest in land lasts. Freehold is the fullest form: the interest continues indefinitely and can be transferred, mortgaged or passed on without a term counting down. The brochure for The Arcady uses the formal phrase "estate in perpetuity", which is the legal description of exactly that.
In a strata development, freehold applies to the whole site. Each owner holds a strata title to the individual home, and all owners together share an interest in the land and the common property. The project details for The Arcady at Boon Keng record the tenure alongside the address, District 12 location and Building Plan approval.
How The Arcady at Boon Keng's freehold compares with a 99-year leasehold
Much of Singapore's private housing is built on 99-year leasehold land. Under a lease, the interest is granted for a fixed term, and the land returns to the lessor when that term ends. A leasehold home can still be bought, transferred, financed and lived in throughout the lease, and many buyers are comfortable with that arrangement.
The difference with freehold is that there is no end date to plan around. For buyers thinking about a home that may stay in the family for a long time, that is often the deciding point. Each buyer weighs tenure against location, layout and budget, and there is no single right answer for everyone.
One point that sometimes causes confusion: the word "tenure" also appears in housing loan rules, where it means the length of the loan, not the land. As at October 2026, MAS caps loan tenure for private property at 35 years, and the loan-to-value limit falls from 75% to 55% for a first housing loan if the loan tenure exceeds 30 years or runs past age 65. The housing loan information page explains these rules.
Strata title and common property at The Arcady at Boon Keng
Owning a home in a condominium means owning a strata lot, the unit itself, plus a share in the common property: the lifts, corridors, basements, landscaped decks and facilities. Once the development is complete, a management corporation formed by the owners looks after the common property and collects maintenance contributions.
Each unit type carries a share value, which sets its proportion of those contributions. At The Arcady, share values range from 5 for the 1-bedroom + study to 9 for the larger penthouse, and maintenance is estimated at about $80 per share value per month, subject to approval. The common property here is substantial: 47 facilities over 4 communal landscaped levels, described on the amenities page. The floor plans for The Arcady at Boon Keng list each type's size.
Some of the larger homes include strata void space in their stated area, which reflects the double-volume living and dining rooms on the penthouse level. The C5A type is 139 sqm including a 20 sqm strata void, the D2A 151 sqm including a 21 sqm strata void and a 9 sqm private roof terrace, and the two penthouses 226 sqm and 240 sqm including 36 sqm and 38 sqm of strata void respectively. Buyers comparing sizes find it useful to read these figures alongside the plans.
The basements are common property as well. Two levels hold 172 car park lots for 172 homes, plus 3 accessible lots and 29 bicycle lots, together with the bin centre and the loading bay. Their upkeep is shared through the same maintenance contributions.
The Arcady at Boon Keng's site, plot ratio 2.8 and single block
The estimated site area is 5,246.8 sqm, about 56,476.55 sq ft. Plot ratio is the planning measure of how much gross floor area a site may carry relative to its land area, and the ratio here is 2.8. The developer has used that allowance in a single tower of 24 storeys and 172 homes, standing about 98m high.
Concentrating the homes in one block leaves room for landscape. The landscape replacement area is about 73%, roughly 3,828 sqm, spread over the 1st-storey Landscape Deck, the 2nd-storey Sky Terrace, the 14th-storey Sky Terrace and the Roof Terrace. The site plan of The Arcady at Boon Keng shows how the tower, the facilities and the basement entrances fit on the plot, and the elevation chart shows the stacks floor by floor.
What freehold means day to day at The Arcady at Boon Keng
For residents, freehold tenure sits in the background. Daily life is shaped by the home's layout, the facilities and the neighbourhood: Boon Keng MRT about 6 minutes' walk, Bendemeer Market and Food Centre about 6 minutes, and the Kallang Park Connector about 8 minutes, on the developer's estimates. Tenure matters most at the moments of buying, financing and eventually passing the home on.
The vendor is KSH Ultra Unity Pte. Ltd., profiled on the developer page, and the conveyancing solicitor is Wee Swee Teow LLP. Buyers can read the tenure details in the e-brochure for The Arcady at Boon Keng. The Sales Concierge sends the price list on request and arranges viewings by appointment through the contact page.
The Arcady at Boon Keng expects vacant possession by 31 Dec 2028 and legal completion by 31 Dec 2031. What VP, TOP and CSC mean for progressive payments.
Is The Arcady at Boon Keng a good investment? The attributes buyers weigh: freehold tenure, 172 homes in one tower, north-south units, Boon Keng MRT and more.
Citizens, PRs, foreigners and entities can all buy at The Arcady at Boon Keng. See the ABSD rate for each buyer profile, couple remission and loan rules.
The Sales Concierge sends the e-brochure, the full set of floor plans and the current price list to registered parties, and arranges a private viewing by appointment. There is no charge to register and no commitment attached.
