Part 2 of 7 — Lentor Gardens Residences: The Complete Analysis
↑ Full Review · The Price Floor · The Floor Plan Trap · The Pricing Test · The Yield Reality · The Spine · The Exit · The Management Reality
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You compare the psf of Lentor Gardens Residences against Lentor Mansion next door. The numbers look similar. What no agent at the showflat will tell you is that the two numbers are measuring completely different things — and that comparison is setting buyers up to make a decision based on figures that cannot be meaningfully stacked against each other.

Lentor Gardens Residences is a GFA-harmonised project (tendered April 2025, after the June 2023 rule change). Its stated floor areas equal liveable area — no void space, bay window, or planter box inflation. Lentor Mansion (tendered April 2023, pre-harmonisation) carries strata areas that include non-liveable components. Comparing their psf directly overstates Lentor Mansion's value. Buyers need to apply a 5–10% liveable-area discount to Lentor Mansion's strata psf before the comparison is meaningful.

GFA Harmonisation — What Changes for Buyers PRE-HARMONISATION (Lentor Mansion) Liveable Area ~90–92% of strata sqft Voids / Bay Windows / Planters Counted in strata area — not liveable Strata: 700 sqft / Liveable: ~640–655 sqft POST-HARMONISATION (Lentor Gardens Res) Liveable Area = Strata Area 100% of quoted sqft is usable floor Strata: 700 sqft / Liveable: 700 sqft → Jun 2023
Deep DiveWhat the Market Is Telling You+ Read →− Collapse

Move 1: What GFA Harmonisation Actually Changed

Before 1 June 2023, developers could include certain architectural features — double-volume voids, bay windows, planter boxes, private enclosed spaces, and roof terraces — in the strata area of a unit, even though residents could not walk across or live in those spaces in any practical sense. A 1,000 sqft strata area might have included 80–100 sqft of void or decorative elements, giving buyers less floor than the number implied.

URA's GFA harmonisation reform ended this. From 1 June 2023, only genuinely liveable floor area counts toward the strata area that developers quote and buyers pay for. The psf you see on a harmonised project's floor plan is the psf of floor you can actually use.

Lentor Gardens Residences was tendered in April 2025 — it is fully GFA harmonised. Lentor Mansion was tendered in April 2023 — it is pre-harmonisation. The same nominal sqft in these two projects represents different amounts of liveable space.

Illustrative example: A Lentor Mansion 3BR at 1,033 sqft (strata, pre-harmonisation) might yield approximately 940–960 sqft of genuinely liveable floor after accounting for planter and void inclusions. A Lentor Gardens Residences 3BR at 1,000 sqft (harmonised) yields 1,000 sqft of liveable floor. The Lentor Mansion unit looks larger on paper — but when you put furniture in, Lentor Gardens Residences may use its space more efficiently.

Deep DiveWhat the Market Isn't Telling You+ Read →− Collapse

Move 2: The Comparison Error That Will Cost You

This is the floor plan trap. When agents compare Lentor Gardens Residences launch prices against Lentor Mansion's original launch psf or current resale psf, they are typically using strata-to-strata comparison. The strata figure for Lentor Mansion includes non-liveable space; the strata figure for Lentor Gardens Residences does not. The comparison appears to show Lentor Mansion as more expensive — but if you adjust for liveable area, the gap narrows or reverses depending on the unit type.

The practical consequence: when a buyer calculates that Lentor Mansion at $2,100 psf (strata) is more expensive than Lentor Gardens Residences at $1,990 psf (harmonised), they may be comparing $1,990 psf of liveable area against $1,990–$2,100 psf of strata area that includes non-liveable components. On a true liveable-area basis, the relative value changes. In the resale market, buyers and agents who do not understand this distinction will underprice Lentor Mansion resale units — or overprice Lentor Gardens Residences — creating a distortion that sophisticated buyers can navigate.

The pricing test that applies this correction to actual launch and resale data is in Part 3: The Pricing Test.

What GFA Harmonisation Means for Each Unit Type

Unit Type Est. Harmonised Strata (Lentor Gardens) Pre-harmonisation Strata (Lentor Mansion, est.) Liveable Gap (approx.)
1BR ~450–500 sqft ~500–560 sqft ~5–8%
2BR ~600–750 sqft ~650–820 sqft ~7–10%
3BR ~900–1,050 sqft ~975–1,100 sqft ~8–10%
4BR ~1,200–1,350 sqft ~1,300–1,450 sqft ~8–10%

Note: Exact floor plan figures are estimates pending Kingsford's official launch materials. Unit mix for Lentor Gardens Residences (500 units) has not been officially released at time of publication. The liveable gap estimates are based on typical pre-harmonisation planter and void inclusions across comparable OCR launches.

The Unit Types to Focus On

Under GFA harmonisation, developers lose the ability to inflate unit sizes with void and planter space. This often results in harmonised projects having smaller stated sqft for comparable bedroom counts than pre-harmonisation peers. The trade-off is transparency — what you see is what you get. For buyers comparing this project to Lentor Mansion:

A 3BR in Lentor Gardens Residences at ~950 sqft (harmonised) is likely more liveable than a Lentor Mansion 3BR at ~1,050 sqft (pre-harmonised strata) because every square foot is usable. The total dollar quantum might be lower; the effective psf on liveable area is closer than the nominal strata comparison implies.

The stacks to scrutinise: under harmonised rules, planter boxes are excluded, but unit designs that maximise the perimeter walls (for natural light, ventilation, and cross-ventilation) become more important. Good harmonised floor plans put liveable area where it counts — bedrooms with full-length windows, living rooms that open efficiently to balconies. Poor harmonised floor plans simply reduce overall size without compensating with better proportions. Specific stack analysis will be possible once Kingsford releases official floor plans at or before the September 2026 launch.

James's Note

GFA harmonisation is good news for this project. The trap is the comparison, not the project itself.

The floor plan trap in the title of this article is not about Lentor Gardens Residences doing something wrong. It is about buyers comparing it incorrectly to a pre-harmonisation neighbour and concluding the wrong thing. Harmonised sqft is the better disclosure — you know what you are buying. The discipline is to compare like with like. When you see two adjacent projects with similar nominal sqft at similar psf, the harmonised one is the more transparent number. The pre-harmonisation one requires adjustment. If an agent tells you Lentor Mansion is better value per sqft without making that adjustment, they have not done the analysis. Call them on it.

— James Ong | CEA Reg No. R008385F | PropNex Realty

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Deep DiveFrequently Asked Questions+ Read →− Collapse

Frequently Asked Questions

What is GFA harmonisation and why does it matter?+ Read →− Hide
GFA harmonisation (effective 1 June 2023) changed the rules on what counts as gross floor area in new private residential developments. Previously, developers could include void spaces, bay windows, planter boxes, and private enclosed spaces in the strata area sold to buyers. These features inflated unit sizes on paper without adding liveable floor. Post-harmonisation, only genuinely inhabitable floor area counts. Any project tendered from June 2023 onwards — including Lentor Gardens Residences — uses harmonised strata areas. Pre-2023 projects like Lentor Mansion do not.
Can I still buy a project with planter boxes or bay windows?+ Read →− Hide
The design element (planters, voids) can still appear in the building — but they cannot be counted in the strata area the developer sells. A harmonised project might still have a balcony or architectural feature, but that feature's area will not inflate the sqft figure used to calculate your purchase price. This is a positive change for buyers, as it eliminates the gap between what you pay for and what you live in.
How do I compare Lentor Gardens Residences psf against Lentor Mansion?+ Read →− Hide
The correct comparison applies a liveable-area discount to Lentor Mansion's strata psf. Depending on the specific unit type, Lentor Mansion's pre-harmonisation strata includes approximately 5–10% non-liveable area. If Lentor Mansion resale 3BRs are trading at $2,100 psf (strata), the liveable-area equivalent is approximately $2,200–$2,310 psf. Compared against Lentor Gardens Residences at ~$1,990 psf (harmonised = liveable), the value gap on a true apples-to-apples basis is wider than the strata comparison suggests. The full pricing test is in Part 3.
Does GFA harmonisation make Lentor Gardens Residences better value than older Lentor projects?+ Read →− Hide
It makes the floor area disclosure more transparent. Whether it makes the project better value depends on how Kingsford prices the harmonised sqft. If they price at the same nominal psf as pre-harmonisation neighbouring projects, buyers of Lentor Gardens Residences are paying the same headline price for less total (strata) area but more liveable area per sqft. The value equation is project-specific — you need to run the liveable-area comparison unit by unit to reach a conclusion. That analysis is in Part 3.
Are there any downsides to GFA harmonisation for the buyer?+ Read →− Hide
The main practical effect is that harmonised units often have smaller stated strata sizes than pre-harmonisation equivalents, because the planter and void inflation is gone. This can make the project look smaller on spec sheets compared to pre-2023 launches. For resale purposes, buyers comparing harmonised and pre-harmonisation projects without adjusting for the difference may undervalue the harmonised unit — meaning a well-informed seller can articulate the value more clearly than an agent who does not understand the rule change.

Get the Floor Plan Analysis Before You Visit the Showflat

I can walk through the GFA harmonisation adjustment for each unit type at Lentor Gardens Residences — and show you how the liveable-area comparison against Lentor Mansion and Lentor Hills Residences actually stacks up. Know the numbers before the sales pitch starts.

WhatsApp 9111 1173

Sources

Sources + Show all 8 →− Hide
  1. URA — GFA Harmonisation announcement, May 2023, effective 1 June 2023
  2. URA — Revised Gross Floor Area (GFA) Treatment for Residential Developments, 2023
  3. URA GLS results — Lentor Gardens Parcel B tender, 3 April 2025 (Kingsford)
  4. URA GLS results — Lentor Mansion tender, April 2023 (pre-harmonisation)
  5. 99.co — Lentor Mansion floor plan data, pre-harmonisation strata breakdown, 2024
  6. — GFA harmonisation impact analysis, June 2023
  7. EdgeProp — Lentor corridor comparative floor plan analysis, 2024–2025
  8. PropNex Research — UPCOMING LAUNCHES tracker, June 2026 (unit mix estimates)

This article is for informational and educational purposes only. It does not constitute financial, investment, or legal advice. Property investments involve risk. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Readers should seek independent advice from licensed professionals before making any property or financial decision. James Ong is a licensed real estate salesperson (CEA Reg No. R008385F) with PropNex Realty Pte Ltd and is not a licensed financial adviser.

James Ong | CEA Reg No. R008385F | PropNex Realty Pte Ltd
WA: 91111173 | wa.me/6591111173

Lentor Gardens Residences launches September 2026 — stack priority follows registration order, not walk-in. Register My Interest →