Criteria for Rental of Flats under HDB’s Public Rental Scheme

Mr Murali Pillai asked the Minister for National Development whether, with respect to families living in rental flats under HDB's Public Rental Scheme, the income ceiling as well as rent payable for the flats, currently based on monthly household income, may instead be based on per capita household income.

Mr Lawrence Wong: HDB takes a needs-based approach in assisting public rental applicants and tenants, including those who are above the income ceiling. This includes taking into account their household size and expenses when assessing their requests for public rental, and their ability to pay rent.

The majority of HDB public rental tenants have a household size of three or less. In addition, more than half of public rental households pay basic rents, which are $26 to $33 a month for a 1-room flat and $44 to $75 a month for a 2-room flat. The remaining households pay higher monthly rents based on their household incomes. If tenants face difficulty affording their rents, HDB looks into their individual circumstances and can exercise flexibility for them to pay a lower rent.