Episode 12 · 54s
The 99-Year Clock — When a Leasehold Condo Becomes a Countdown
Property Phases 5 of 5: past a certain age a leasehold condo stops behaving like an asset — lease decay, tighter loans and rising bills all arrive together.
Key takeaways
- 1
The official leasehold table (SLA's “Bala's Table”): about 80% of freehold value at 60 years left, 60% at 30 years, and 40% at 15 years.
- 2
The market moves earlier than the math — below 60 years on the lease, banks start cutting loan limits.
- 3
Fewer buyers qualify, so your exit pool shrinks exactly when you need it most.
- 4
Ageing buildings send invoices: one 31-year-old development along the East Coast needed a $1.7 million special levy just to overhaul its lifts (Fernwood Towers, The Straits Times, Aug 2025).
- 5
The lesson of all four phases: enter early, exit on time, and never let the clock decide for you.
Read the transcript+
Past a certain age, a leasehold condo stops behaving like an asset and starts behaving like a countdown. Here's what the 99 year clock actually does to value. The official leasehold table says it all. At 60 years left, you hold about 80% of freehold value. At 30 years, 60%. At 15, just 40. And the market moves earlier than the math. Below 60 years on the lease, banks start cutting loan limits. Fewer buyers qualify. Your exit pool shrinks exactly when you need it. Then come the bills. One 31-year-old development along the East Coast needed a $1.7 million repair bill just to overhaul its lifts. Ageing buildings send invoices. The lesson of all four phases. Enter, early, exit on time. Never let the clock decide for you. Full series in my profile.
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