Adjusting BTO Flat Balloting Chances to Ensure Good Mix of Applicants in Each Estate
Ministry of National DevelopmentSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim’s inquiry on whether BTO balloting could be phased for different applicant archetypes, such as young couples and the elderly, to ensure demographic diversity. Minister Desmond Lee responded that HDB prioritizes those with greater needs, providing first-timer families with the majority of flat supply and additional ballot chances. He noted that inclusive estates are maintained by building varied flat types and integrating public rental units within the same blocks or precincts. Minister Desmond Lee also stated that feedback from the Forward Singapore exercise supports further prioritizing first-timers with urgent needs, such as families with children or lower-income households. These views will inform an ongoing review of housing allocation to better assist applicants who require more immediate access to public housing.
Transcript
32 Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim asked the Minister for National Development for young couples applying for HDB BTO flats, besides additional ballot chances or further increased grants or subsidies under the various qualifying schemes, whether HDB can consider amending the BTO balloting process into different stages or phases for each archetype of applicants according to priority, such as young couples, families with children and elderly to ensure a good mix of applicant types in each estate.
Mr Desmond Lee: The Housing and Development Board (HDB) offers Build-To-Order (BTO) flats to meet the housing needs of diverse buyer groups, including first-timer (FT) and second-timer (ST) families, seniors and singles.
We provide priority in flat allocation to applicants with greater housing needs, so that they have better chances of securing a flat. For instance, most of HDB’s BTO flat supply has been set aside for FT family applicants to support Singaporeans’ marriage and parenthood aspirations. This is on top of the additional ballot chance these applicants receive, as compared to ST families.
HDB also ensures a good mix of residents demographically and socio-economically in all its housing estates by building a range of flat types ─ from 2-room Flexi to 5-room and 3Gen flats ─ on the same floor or in the same block, precinct or neighbourhood. Public rental flats are also integrated with sold flats in the same block or precinct, where feasible. This, in turn, ensures that HDB estates continue to remain inclusive and cater to applicants with different budgets and needs.
As part of the Forward Singapore exercise, many participants acknowledged that there are varying degrees of urgency in housing needs, even within the first-timer applicants. Most agree that we should prioritise first-timers who are looking to purchase their first home, especially for those with more urgent housing needs, such as first-timer couples who already have children but are without their own home, as well as lower-income families, who have fewer options in the open market.
We have gathered valuable views from the Forward Singapore exercise, which will inform our review of how to prioritise access to public housing for those with more urgent housing needs.