Lease Tenure Selection for Community Care Apartment Applicants at Time of Flat Selection
Ministry of National DevelopmentSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns a proposal by Mr Lim Biow Chuan to allow Community Care Apartment (CCA) applicants to select their lease tenure during flat selection instead of during the HDB Flat Eligibility (HFE) letter application. Minister for National Development Desmond Lee explained that the current policy uses the age at HFE application to maintain fairness and consistency across different projects with varying selection schedules. He noted that this method provides financial planning certainty for buyers seeking 15- to 35-year leases intended to cover them until age 95. Minister for National Development Desmond Lee added that HDB considers appeals for lease deviations on a case-by-case basis for those with extenuating circumstances. Finally, he stated that the government would incorporate the feedback into regular policy reviews to better serve the diverse needs of senior households.
Transcript
53 Mr Lim Biow Chuan asked the Minister for National Development whether HDB will consider reviewing its policy and allow applicants for Community Care Apartments to select their lease tenure at the time of flat selection instead of at the time of HDB Flat Eligibility (HFE) Letter application.
Mr Desmond Lee: The Community Care Apartment (CCA) is a public housing assisted living concept designed to expand the continuum of housing options for seniors aged 65 and above. CCA integrates senior-friendly housing with care services that can be scaled according to individual needs. It provides seniors with a home for life by offering flexible lease lengths of between 15 and 35 years, in five-year increments, to cover applicants and their spouses (if any) till at least the age of 95. The choice of lease length is made at flat selection, based on the age of the youngest applicant/spouse at the time of their application for a Housing and Development Board (HDB) Flat Eligibility (HFE) letter.
Using the age at the time of HFE letter application allows HDB to be fair and consistent to all applicants across different sales launches or Build-To-Order (BTO) projects, which have different flat selection schedules. For example, even within the same BTO project, flat selection timing can vary by several months. This variation introduces uncertainty, which may, in turn, impact buyers' financial planning and purchase decision.
CCA buyers with extenuating circumstances, who require a deviation from this lease tenure computation methodology, can approach HDB for assistance. HDB will review such appeals on a case-by-case basis. We will also take in the Member's feedback in our regular policy reviews to ensure that we continue to meet the diverse needs of households, taking into account prevailing conditions.