The Singapore Land Authority (“SLA”) is a statutory board under the Ministry of Law, established under the Singapore Land Authority Act 2001. It was formed on 1 June 2001 when the Land Office, the Singapore Land Registry, the Survey Department, and the Land Systems Support Unit were merged. SLA’s mission is to optimise land resources for the economic and social development of Singapore. SLA’s role is both developmental and regulatory. In its developmental role, SLA:
(a) Maintains the national land information database.
(b) Manages State land through land sales, leases, acquisitions, and allocations.
(c) Develops and markets State properties to optimise their use for the public benefit.
(d) Develops geospatial data infrastructure and policies, enabling knowledge and value creation for the Government, enterprises, and the community.
In its regulatory role, SLA is the national land registration authority. It looks after the registration of property transactions in Singapore, and is also responsible for the management and maintenance of the national land survey system.
Amongst other things, SLA is responsible for:
(a) Property Registration. SLA manages the two co-existing land registers, ie, the Register of Deeds under the Registration of Deeds Act 1988, and the Land Titles Register under the Land Titles Act 1993.
(b) Granting permission for the foreign ownership of properties under the Residential Property Act 1976.
(c) Regulating the process of a property boundary survey (or a cadastral survey) by a practising Registered Surveyor.
(d) Regulating the rental, sale, and purchase of State properties under the State Lands Act 1920.
(e) Opening up vacant State land not required for immediate development, so that the public may enjoy it for community use.
Source:
www.sla.gov.sg