Oral Answer by Ministry of National Development on the number of HDB flats resold to HDB in the past five years

Mar 2, 2021

Mr Gan Thiam Poh: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) in the past five years, how many HDB flats have been resold to HDB, broken down by room type; (b) what is the reason that these flats are resold to HDB instead of in the open market; and (c) whether HDB will consider assisting these sellers by offering their flats in HDB's open booking system for interested buyers to consider.

Answer

In the past five years, about 1,700 flats were surrendered to the HDB. Of these flats, about half were 2-room flats, one-sixth were 3-room flats, and one-third were 4-room or larger flats. 

About 1,000 of the surrendered flats were short-lease flats, comprising Studio Apartments, 2-room Flexi flats bought on a short lease, and flats whose owners had opted for the Lease Buyback Scheme. Owners of short-lease flats who no longer wished to retain their flats or who had become ineligible to do so, are required to surrender their flats to HDB.  They are not allowed to sell them on the open market. 

The remaining 700 flats were surrendered to HDB mostly due to changes in the owners’ circumstances within their Minimum Occupation Period, which rendered them ineligible to own an HDB flat. As these owners had not fulfilled their Minimum Occupation Period, they were not allowed to sell their flats on the open market. The most common reasons for surrender of flats were divorce, break-up of fiancé-fiancée relationship, and annulment of marriage. 

HDB compensates flat owners for the surrendered flats, and offers them for sale through the Sale of Balance Flats exercises. If the flats remain unselected after the Sale of Balance Flats exercise, they may then be made available under open booking.