Review of Current HDB Flat Allocation System for BTOs
Ministry of National DevelopmentSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns Mr Shawn Huang Wei Zhong’s inquiry regarding a review of the BTO flat allocation system to ensure it remains inclusive, fair, and transparent. Minister for National Development Desmond Lee responded that HDB prioritises applicants with greater housing needs, such as first-timer families and those qualifying for the Parenthood Priority Scheme. He highlighted that inclusivity is maintained through schemes like the Tenants' Priority Scheme, which assists public rental tenants in transitioning to homeownership. Fairness is ensured through a computerized balloting process that undergoes rigorous eligibility audits and checks before any results are published. Minister for National Development Desmond Lee concluded that regular policy reviews will continue to ensure the housing system meets the evolving needs of Singaporean society.
Transcript
65 Mr Shawn Huang Wei Zhong asked the Minister for National Development whether there will be a review of the current HDB flat allocation system for BTOs to ensure that the system continues to be inclusive, fair, transparent and equitable for all Singaporeans.
Mr Desmond Lee: The allocation of flats in Build-To-Order (BTO) exercises serves to meet the housing needs of different buyer groups – first-timer (FT) and second-timer (ST) families, seniors, and singles. Given Singapore’s limited land and resources to build new flats, we need to prioritise the allocation of BTO flats among these different groups.
Generally, applicants with greater housing need enjoy priority in HDB's flat allocation system. For instance, FT families receive an extra ballot chance compared to ST families, and FT families expecting a child or who have a child aged 18 years old or younger can qualify for priority under the Parenthood Priority Scheme. The eligibility criteria and allocation quotas for HDB's priority schemes are published on the HDB InfoWEB.
HDB also strives to ensure that the needs of vulnerable groups are met, thereby keeping our public housing estates inclusive. For instance, public rental tenants who are able and wish to buy their own home enjoy priority under the Tenants' Priority Scheme.
All applications are put through a computerised balloting process to allocate queue numbers to flat applicants. At every sales exercise, rigorous audits and checks are carried out. These include checking applicants' eligibility, auditing the computer balloting process and counter-checking ballot results before publishing them. These steps ensure that the balloting process remains robust and fair to all applicants.
MND and HDB will continue to conduct regular reviews of our public housing policies to ensure that they meet the evolving needs of society.