Oral answer by Ministry of National Development on allowing singles or estranged persons to live alone instead of requiring co-tenants for HDB rental flats

Nov 9, 2022

Question No: 3674

Question by: Ms Denise Phua Lay Peng

* 3674 Ms Denise Phua Lay Peng asked the Minister for National Development (a) whether HDB has an initiative that allows single or estranged persons to live alone instead of requiring a co-tenant for HDB rental flats; and (b) if so, whether the Ministry can provide an update on this initiative.

Answer:

          Sir, public rental flats under the Joint Singles Scheme (JSS) are provided on a flat-sharing basis as this allows the flats to accommodate more low-income Singaporeans who need housing assistance. For JSS applicants with exceptional circumstances, such as medical grounds, HDB has exercised flexibility to allow them to rent a flat alone.

While many applicants and tenants are able to find a flatmate and live amicably under the JSS, some face difficulties applying for or sharing a flat, and we have, therefore, been reviewing and improving the JSS in recent years. For instance, HDB has been building new rental flats with high partitions to provide more privacy and these have been well-received. HDB has also been installing partitions in existing rental flats at tenants’ request. There are now a total of 1,230 partitioned flats. HDB will continue to include partitions in new rental flats, where feasible, and install them in existing flats at tenants’ request.

HDB is also piloting the JSS Operator-Run model to allow singles to apply for a public rental flat individually, without having to find a flatmate first. We, currently, have three sites, with a total of 400 bedspaces. The sites are managed by Social Service Agencies which oversee the flat-sharing arrangements, provide social support and mediate among tenants when needed. The pilot has been well-subscribed and HDB is assessing the pilot to see how it can be expanded.

We will continue to explore ways to improve the lived experiences of singles in public rental. We are looking into alternative typologies and will share more details soon.