Singles can apply for new HDB flats in all locations, buy 2-room Prime resale flats

SINGAPORE: Singles who are at least 35 years old will soon be able to apply for new two-room Housing Board flats in any location, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said at the National Day Rally on Sunday (Aug 20).

Currently, they can only apply for Build-to-Order (BTO) flats in non-mature estates, which are usually further from the city centre. 

From the second half of 2024, the Housing and Development Board (HDB) will no longer be categorising housing estates as mature or non-mature. Instead, flats launched from then will be classified Standard, Plus or Prime depending on their location and other attributes. 

The reclassification is not retrospective and will not apply to existing flats or those already launched.

The bulk of HDB’s flats will be Standard flats with the current subsidies and restrictions, including a minimum occupation period of five years. 

Plus flats, which will be in "choicer locations" such as near an MRT station, will have more subsidies from HDB but also more restrictions. The minimum occupation period for these flats will be 10 years, and there are tighter resale conditions.

Prime flats will have the same restrictions as Prime Location Housing projects, which were introduced in November 2021. These include the 10-year minimum occupation period and a clawback of subsidies on resale. In addition, Prime flat owners can only sell their flats in the future to owners who meet BTO eligibility criteria such as the prevailing income ceiling. 

When the new classification is launched, singles will be able to apply for BTO flats in any category – Standard, Plus or Prime.

These changes to public housing were announced by Mr Lee, who said that more and more Singaporeans are choosing to be single and want their own homes.

CHANGES FOR SINGLES BUYING RESALE

Singles currently cannot buy Prime Location Housing flats, even in the resale market. But with the changes, they will be able to buy two-room Prime Flexi resale flats, or Standard or Plus resale flats of any size.

“I am sure singles will welcome this move to have more choices to find your own home and write your own part in Singapore’s housing story,” Mr Lee said.

This is the latest in a series of changes over the years to widen public housing options for singles. 

From 1991, singles aged 35 years old and above were able to buy HDB flats on the resale market. Initially, they were limited to three-room or smaller flats in selected locations but this was later extended to resale flats of any size in any location.

But they could not buy new flats from HDB until 2013, when singles were allowed to apply for new two-room flats from HDB in non-mature estates.

The coming changes will address the grouses of singles, who have said they prefer flats in mature estates to be nearer their elderly parents.