Oral Answer by Ministry of National Development on rejecting requests for public rental flats

Aug 6, 2018

Mr Alex Yam Ziming: To ask the Minister for National Development 

(a) what are the main reasons for the rejection of applications for HDB rental flats; and

(b) what are HDB's projections for new rental flats in the next decade.   

Answer:

HDB’s public rental flats, which are heavily subsidised, cater to needy citizen households who have no other viable housing options or family support.

The most common reasons for rejecting requests for HDB public rental flats are that applicants have the ability to buy a flat, have family support, or are unable to meet the citizenship requirement.  For households who do not meet the eligibility criteria, HDB exercises flexibility based on their individual needs and circumstances.

There are about 60,000 existing HDB rental flats, with another 3,000 units under construction.  HDB will continue to monitor the net demand for rental flats, as more rental families have become homeowners, and make adjustments to our rental flat supply as required.