Written Answer by Ministry of National Development on proposal for blanket waiver on need for ex-spousal consent to list children as occupiers in HDB flat applications

Nov 1, 2021

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for National Development whether the Ministry will waive the requirement for ex-spousal consent on who can list the children as occupiers in a HDB flat application if the ex-spouse has already purchased a private property or a HDB flat following the divorce rather than reviewing this on a case-by-case basis.   

Answer:

Divorcees with shared care and control of children have an equal right to list their children in their flat application. At the same time, any individual is only allowed to be listed in one HDB flat application. We therefore require divorced parents to come to an agreement before either party lists their child in a flat application. This ensures fairness to all parties, as HDB is not in a position to determine which parent should exercise the right to do so.

For cases where the ex-spouse has bought a private property or HDB flat after the divorce, they may still wish to list the child in a future flat application. As such, HDB will have to consider the circumstances of each case individually, and will not be able to waive the mutual agreement requirement as a blanket policy.  

We understand that is not always possible for divorced parties to reach an agreement on who can list the child in a flat application, especially if the divorce was acrimonious. Those who are unable to reach an agreement with their ex-spouse can approach HDB to discuss their options. HDB will review each case and is prepared to exercise flexibility to ensure that both parties have options to provide housing for themselves and their children.