Most S'poreans Want HDB Priority Schemes Removed

Removing Housing Board priority schemes and limiting those who can buy prime HDB resale flats on the open market are two ideas the majority of Singaporeans in public consultations support to keep public housing in prime areas accessible and affordable. The majority of Singaporeans also feel that owners should not be allowed to rent out the whole HDB flat after the five-year minimum occupation period (MOP), according to a report released by the Ministry of National Development (MND) More than 7,500 Singaporeans have weighed in on how to keep new HDB flats in prime areas, such as the city centre and Greater Southern Waterfront, inclusive since plans to do so were announced in November last year. Public engagement to gather feedback and suggestions on the plans ended last month. A new public housing model for HDB flats in prime locations will be announced soon. The majority of Singaporeans believe the Government should introduce new policy conditions for prime HDB flats and that it would be fair to do so, said MND. This is so that these flats will be kept affordable at the point of purchase for first-time buyers and for subsequent resale buyers, it added. This could mean the removal of HDB priority schemes, which the majority of participants are in favour of. A priority scheme enhances some applicants' chances in the computer ballot for flat applications. One of these schemes is the Married Child Priority Scheme, which gives priority to applicants whose parents live in the same area. Currently, up to 30 per cent of Build-To-Order (BTO) flats are set aside for first-timer families under this scheme. If the scheme is removed, it would mean that every eligible buyer has an equal chance of balloting for the flats. Another policy condition could take the form of limiting the pool of buyers who can buy prime-area HDB resale flats, which the majority of participants are also in favour of. For instance, this could mean an income ceiling cap on prime HDB resale flat buyers. A majority of participants were in favour of imposing a longer MOP period than the current five years to ensure that buyers are people who genuinely want to live in the flat for the long term. Others felt that shorter leases than the current 99-year lease and smaller unit sizes could make the flats more affordable, said MND.