Written Answer by Ministry of National Development on extending housing grants

Nov 19, 2018

Mr Kwek Hian Chuan Henry: To ask the Minister for National Development whether the Additional CPF Housing Grant and Special CPF Housing Grant can be extended to first-time buyers of HDB flats in mature estates as these buyers may wish to live near to their parents within the 4km radius.

Answer:

HDB is committed to providing affordable public housing for Singaporeans.  Helping families live with or near each other for mutual care and support has also been a longstanding priority for the Government.  

To ensure new flats are affordable for first-timer families, we provide the Additional CPF Housing Grant (AHG) and Special CPF Housing Grant (SHG), on top of subsidised flat prices.  All first-timer families earning up to $5,000 a month can receive an AHG of up to $40,000, regardless of whether they are buying a new flat in a mature or non-mature estate.  The SHG of up to $40,000 is also extended to eligible first-timer families when they purchase 4-room and smaller flats in non-mature estates, to encourage prudence in home purchases.

For those buying new flats in HDB’s Build-To-Order and Sale of Balance Flats exercises, we have various schemes that give priority to families who wish to stay with or near each other: the Married Child Priority Scheme, Multi-Generation Priority Scheme and Senior Priority Scheme.  For multi-generation families that wish to stay together, we have also introduced purpose-built Three-Generation (3Gen) flats for a more comfortable living environment.

First-timer families buying resale flats are also given significant government support.  They can enjoy housing grants of up to $120,000, comprising a CPF Housing Grant of up to $50,000, an AHG of up to $40,000 and a Proximity Housing Grant of up to $30,000.  This is regardless of whether the resale flat is in a mature or non-mature estate.  

We will continue to review our housing policies to ensure that public housing remains affordable.