Review of Requirement for Joint Tenancy for Singles in Public Flat Rental Scheme

22 Mr David Ong asked the Minister for National Development (a) what is the number of rental applications received under the Public Rental Scheme over the past year and how many of these applications are under the Joint Singles Scheme; and (b) how many complaints has HDB received of disputes among residents under the Joint Singles Scheme in the past two years.

23 Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar asked the Minister for National Development whether HDB will consider implementing a pilot scheme for rental flats where single tenants are allowed to rent a smaller rental flat instead of requiring a minimum of two co-tenants.

The Minister of State for National Development (Dr Koh Poh Koon) (for the Minister for National Development): Mdm Speaker, may I have your permission to take the next two questions together?

Mdm Speaker: Yes, please.

Dr Koh Poh Koon: The Housing and Development Board (HDB) registered 2,184 rental applications in 2015, of which, 398 or 18% were registered under the Joint Singles Scheme (JSS). JSS ensures prudent use of limited public rental flats to help those in need.

Most JSS tenants are able to live together amicably. The key is mutual respect and tolerance. However, there are instances where tenants are unable to get along and request for a change of tenant. For the past two years, there were 235 such requests, out of around 12,000 JSS households. In such cases, HDB will advise them to settle their dispute amicably or seek help from the grassroots organisations or the Community Mediation Centre. If the dispute cannot be settled and one person needs to move out, HDB will advise the remaining person to include another eligible single to retain the flat. The out-going person may submit a fresh application to rent another public rental flat with another eligible person.

The Ministry of National Development (MND) and HDB have no plans to allow singles to rent a flat alone. Nonetheless, since 2015, HDB has made available some new 1-room rental flats with partitions to create separate sleeping areas for each occupant, for singles who prefer more privacy. Each sleeping area can accommodate a single bed and a small wardrobe, and has its own windows, while the living area, kitchen and toilet remain shared.

For those who need to stay alone for exceptional reasons, such as medical grounds, HDB will assess their requests on a case-by-case basis.

Mdm Speaker: Mr David Ong.

Mr David Ong (Bukit Batok): Mdm Speaker, I would like to thank the Minister of State for the reply. A few supplementary questions: first, how effective is the HDB's current mediation framework in helping to resolve such disputes between co-tenants, because I do see quite frequent cases of co-tenants having disputes and having difficulties coping? The next question is: some of the flats under JSS are currently occupied by only one tenant instead of two. What actions is HDB taking to ensure that such flats are prudently and optimally rented out? My last question: although there is now the option of a rental flat with a partition, will HDB consider other rental flat options for singles, so as to reduce such conflicts of strangers living together? Perhaps, more of such schemes can be expanded to give more privacy to singles – maybe a single unit with shared toilets and cluster living options.

Dr Koh Poh Koon: Madam, I thank the Member for his supplementary questions. First, on how many rental tenants have been allowed to retain the flat and stay alone when they are unable to find a flatmate, for the past three years, from 2013 to 2015, we have allowed 42 tenants or applicants to rent an HDB flat alone, owing to really extenuating circumstances. Usually, these are medical-related conditions. In cases of difficulty getting along, we will usually allow some time for the Residents' Committees (RCs), local grassroots as well as the Community Mediation Centre to mediate between the two tenants and hope for a good resolution. In cases where the tenants cannot get along, we would usually not force such pairings and may exercise some flexibility but we would usually seek an approach in which we encourage the tenants to continue to look for an eligible partner with whom they can get along to share the flat with.

Mdm Speaker: Dr Intan Mokhtar.

Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar (Ang Mo Kio): Mdm Speaker, I thank the Minister of State. I understand he has answered my question and said that MND has no plans to carry out a pilot scheme for smaller rental flats where tenants can live alone. However, I am sure for most of us here, we have met residents who just cannot get along with their co-tenant, to the extent that they suffer from depression and it affects their mental and health well-being, even after attempts to mediate.

I am interested in the scheme that the Minister of State mentioned, the new 1-room rental flats with partitions. How many of such flats have been introduced, what are the areas where such flats have been introduced and are there plans to introduce such flats with partitions to more areas in our housing estates?

Dr Koh Poh Koon: Madam, I thank the Member for her questions. For the last three years, HDB has not evicted any tenant in a rental flat who has been unable to find a co-tenant. HDB does exercise flexibility in each of the cases where there is difficulty in people getting along and staying together within the same rental flat.

For the question on whether we would be building more of such unique 1-room rental flats, from the 2012 Building Plan onwards, certain stacks of 1-room flats are designed where feasible, with dual windows and partition walls. The partitions will divide the bed area into two with the living area, kitchen and the toilets as the common amenities. Each bed area will have sufficient spaces, as I had said earlier, to accommodate a bed as well as a small wardrobe, so that there is some degree of privacy for the tenants within a 1-room configuration. Starting from some projects under the 2013 Building Plan, such 1-room flats are further designed with partitions and doors that compartmentalise the sleeping areas such that each occupant will have a semblance of his or her own bedroom.

To date, we have allocated 94 out of the 152 completed 1-room flats in Sengkang, Yishun and Sembawang with partition walls. Another 17 flats with partition walls and 348 flats with compartments are currently under construction. The first batch of 15 flats with compartments will be ready for allocation after they are completed in the third quarter of 2016 in Tampines town.

Mdm Speaker: Mr Alex Yam.

Mr Alex Yam (Marsiling-Yew Tee): Mdm Speaker, two clarifications for the Minister of State who mentioned that 42 tenants in the last three years had been granted exceptions. Can I ask the Minister of State for greater granularity, as to how many were for medical exceptions and how many were for other circumstances? I do not recall that a number was provided for those who are currently staying alone but not evicted because they have difficulty getting along with fellow tenants. Is there a number to that and does the Minister of State feel that this could become a potential issue? That is, if I want to stay alone, I just be very difficult with my co-tenants and I will, therefore, have the flat to myself?

Mdm Speaker: Please keep your reply short, Minister of State.

Dr Koh Poh Koon: Mdm Speaker, we do not have the numbers that the Member is asking for. Perhaps we could take this as a separate Parliamentary Question in subsequent Sittings.

1.30 pm

Mdm Speaker: That was indeed very short. Order. End of Question Time. Leader of the House.

[Pursuant to Standing Order No 22(3), provided that Members had not asked for questions standing in their names to be postponed to a later Sitting day or withdrawn, written answers to questions not reached by the end of Question Time are reproduced in the Appendix.]