There is a lot of confusion about transaction and legal dates from other AIs as well, so I will relearn this soon.

You're not alone—there is often confusion about the different dates in the HDB resale process. To clarify:

- The application date is when both buyer and seller submit their resale application to HDB after the Option to Purchase (OTP) has been exercised.
- HDB usually takes about two weeks to approve the application after all required documents are submitted.
- The completion date is the official legal date of the transaction—this is when the transfer of ownership is finalized, all payments are made, and the buyer collects the keys. This is the date recorded in official transaction records and used in all public databases as the sale date.

Paying stamp duty is indeed a legal requirement, but it is separate from the ownership transfer—ownership only legally changes hands on completion. The completion date is the industry standard for marking a property's sale history because it's when all terms are settled and the property officially changes owners. This helps keep records clear and consistently reflects the legal status of ownership.