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Introducing the HDB Flat
Singapore’s public housing authority, better known as the Housing &
Development Board (HDB) is a statutory board under the nation’s
Ministry of National Development. This body exists to serve their
citizens by developing public housing townships that comprises many
quality yet affordable homes in the form of HDB flats.
HDB
towns are well planned with the necessary commercial, recreational and
social amenities that are constantly upgraded to stay relevant and meet
the needs of one of the fastest growing nations. There are a total of 6
types of HDB flats made available:
- Studio apartment (SA)
A
cozy 35/45 sq. meters of floor area designed to meet the needs of the
elderly folks/senior citizens. These low-maintenance units are built
with elderly-friendly fittings such as built-in wardrobe, built-in
kitchen cabinet, window grills, support hand bars, pull cords linked to
an alert system and floor/wall tiles.
- 2-room unit
This
design is targeted to the lower income group with approximately 45 sq.
meters of floor area. It comes with a living area + 1 bedroom with
attached bathroom + kitchen + storeroom cum apartment shelter. Owners
may opt for the living area to be partitioned to create an additional
bedroom to cater for an additional family member.
- 3-room unit
Targeted
to the lower/middle income group with approximately 60 sq. meters of
floor area, this design comes with a living area + a master bedroom
with attached bathroom + 1 bedroom + a common bathroom + kitchen +
service yard + storeroom cum apartment shelter.
- 4-room unit
With
an estimated 90 sq. meters of floor area, this design is perfectly
suited for a medium-sized family. It comes with a living/dining area +
a master bedroom with attached bathroom + 2 bedrooms + a common
bathroom + kitchen + storeroom cum apartment shelter. This unit type
offers a variety of designs to select from that cater to the individual
taste of home owners.
- 5-room unit
Designed
with a medium-size/small extended family in mind, this unit type has
ample floor area of approximately 110 sq. meters. It offers a living
area + a dining area + a master bedroom with attached bathroom + 2
bedrooms + a common bathroom + kitchen + storeroom cum apartment
shelter.
- Executive unit
This
unit type offers a spacious 130 sq. meters of floor area with many
unique designs to choose from. These beautifully designed units are the
largest flat units made available by HDB aimed to comfortably fit a
larger family. It comes with a living area + a dining area + a master
bedroom with attached bathroom + 2 bedrooms + a common bathroom +
kitchen + storeroom cum apartment shelter + a balcony (selected units).
The HDB flats are affordable homes that are very
well maintained. They are located all over Singapore and are supported
with excellent transportation systems made available to cater to the
needs of all members in a family.
Homebuyers may
opt to have a Standard or Premium unit. Standard units come with
minimal finishing/fittings, allowing home owners to have a free hand in
designing their home. On the other hand, those who prefer to have less
hassle may choose the ready-to-move-in Premium units which are fitted
with porcelain ceramic/timber stripped floorings and quality sanitary
ware.
Buying a HDB flat
When
buying a HDB flat, there are certain criteria that need to be fulfilled
in order for you to acquire a unit. The size of your family and whether
you are able to fulfill the conditions set out by HDB’s regulations
play an important part in having your application approved.
The following flowchart is a simplified guide for interested homebuyers:
Balloting Exercise (BE)
A Balloting Exercise (BE) refers to an exercise that offers interested
buyers to buy a HDB flat within the existing townships. The units
offered for the BE are usually surplus standard units that have met the
re-housing needs of Selective En-bloc Redevelopment Scheme (SERS).
Build-To-Order (BTO)
While the BE offers fewer available units for interested buyers to
tender for, BTO offers a more flexible choice of when and where these
buyers would like to own a home. In a nutshell, this process begins
with eligible potential owners submitting applications for their
preferred location and if there is substantial demand for units in a
particular location, the applicants will be shortlisted and invited to
tender for a unit, all before construction begins.
Eligibility
Category |
2 / 3 / 4 / 5-room & Executive |
Studio Apartment (SA) |
Family Nucleus (FN) |
Public
A. Buyer + spouse + children (if any)
B. Buyer + parents + siblings (if any)
C. Buyer + children under legal custody
(widowed/divorced)
Fiance/ Fiancée
Buyer + fiancé/fiancée
Orphan
Buyer + unmarried sibling(s)
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Buyer + spouse
UNLESS
unmarried/divorced/widowed |
Citizenship |
Buyer MUST be SC
+
One(1) of the members of FN of Buyer
MUST be SC / SPR
|
Buyer MUST be SC |
Age of Buyer |
>21 years old (on application) |
>55 years old (on application) |
Gross Monthly Household Income for Buyer(s)
(at time of application) |
$2,000 (2-room)
OR
$3,000 (3-room)
OR
$8,000 (3-room Premium, 4-room,
5-room or Executive)
OR
$12,000 (combined purchase with extended family 3-room Premium, 4-room,
5-room or Executive)
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Must not exceed $8,000 |
Ownership |
Buyer (+spouse) and occupiers (+spouse) listed must NOT own/has disposed of other apartment/house/building/land/estate
30 months
before/between application & taking possession date
of new apartment |
Own HDB Flat
To dispose of unit within 6 months of taking possession of new SA
Own Private Property
To dispose of private property before taking possession of new SA
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Key:
SC – Singapore Citizen
SPR – Singapore Permanent Resident
SA – Studio Apartment
FN – Family Nucleus
Other eligibility conditions to look into before you can own a HDB flat are:
- Time Bar, applicable for all HDB types
- Household status, applicable only for 2-room, 3-room, 4-room, 5-room and executive
- Medisave Top-Up, applicable only for Studio Apartments
- Offset of Resale Levy, applicable only for Studio Apartments
- Payment of Premium, applicable only for Studio Apartments
- Use of CPF, applicable only for Studio Apartments
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