Occupancy Cap for HDB Jumbo Flats

6 Ms Mariam Jaafar asked the Minister for National Development whether the occupancy cap for HDB jumbo flats can be increased from the current six persons to between eight and 10 persons.

The Minister of State for National Development (Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim) (for the Minister for National Development): As HDB flats are intended to serve the housing needs of flat owners and their family members, there is no limit imposed on the number of family members who can live together in an HDB flat. Occupancy caps apply when the flat owners rent out their flat or bedrooms to unrelated persons. This is to minimise the disamenities caused by overcrowding in our public housing estates and maintain a conducive living environment for all residents.

The current occupancy cap for 4-room and larger flats, including jumbo flats, is six persons. This is aligned to the occupancy cap for private residential properties of all sizes. Increasing the occupancy cap would likely create more disamenities when the flat or bedrooms are rented out to unrelated persons.

Should flat owners need to exceed the occupancy cap when renting out their flats or bedrooms, HDB will consider the request and may exercise flexibility based on the circumstances of each case.