Data on Flat Rental Application by Single Unwed Parents in Past Five Years

36 Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked the Minister for National Development for each year in the past five years (a) how many single unwed parents have applied to rent a flat from HDB; (b) how many of such applications have been rejected; (c) what are the top reasons for the rejections; and (d) if such data is not being collected, whether the Ministry will start collecting it.

Mr Desmond Lee: To best assist single unwed parents with their housing needs, HDB reviews each application to rent a public rental flat to understand the applicant’s individual circumstances, housing options and level of family support, taking into account input from social workers, if necessary.

From 2016 to 2020, HDB received 1,218 requests from single unwed parents regarding rental flats (see Table 1). Fifty-five percent of the requests were successful and the number of successful requests quadrupled from 48 in 2016 to 214 in 2020. The remaining requests included enquiries on eligibility conditions, incomplete requests and rejected requests.

The common reasons why requests for a public rental flat were rejected included applicants having the means to buy a flat, having family members who can house them, or not providing the full information required for assessment. HDB will continue to review every request from single unwed parents holistically and render housing assistance to them in the best interest of their children.