Demand and Eligibility Criteria for HDB Rental Flats

Ms Mary Liew asked the Minister for National Development (a) if he will give an update on the current supply and demand for HDB rental flats; (b) whether HDB will consider using per capita income in addition to the total household gross income to determine eligibility to rent a HDB flat so that larger families are not disadvantaged; and (c) for households whose income exceeds $1,500 how much notice to vacate the rental flat is given.

Mr Khaw Boon Wan: There are 45,600 households living in HDB rental flats. Two thousand four hundred applicants are on the waiting list. We are building new rental flats, and our supply will reach 50,000 by the end of this year.

At $1,500 per month, the household income ceiling covers the lowest 20% income households. In practice, HDB exercises flexibility, so that bigger families exceeding the income ceiling can still get a public rental flat, if they have no family support or other housing options.

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Each tenancy runs for two years. For those higher income families who ask for more time to buy a flat, HDB will consider extending their tenancy for another term. But it has to be at a higher rent aligned to their income.