Appeals to Waive 30-month Wait-out Period for Former Private Home Owners to Buy Subsidised HDB Flat

Ms Lee Hui Ying asked the Minister for National Development (a) for each year over the past three years, how many appeals were received by HDB to waive the 30-month wait-out period for former private homeowners before they can buy a subsidised HDB flat; and (b) how many appeals over the same periods were for the purchase of 5-room or larger HDB flats.

Mr Chee Hong Tat: Private property owners must wait out a period of 30 months after the disposal of their private residential property before they are allowed to buy a new Housing and Development Board (HDB) flat, which comes with significant market discounts, buy a resale flat with the Central Provident Fund Housing Grant or take up an HDB housing loan. As these subsidies are funded by taxpayers, the wait-out period ensures a fair allocation of our limited subsidies and prioritises public housing for households that need them more.

In the past three years, HDB received about 900 to 1,300 appeals per year for waiver of the 30-month wait-out period. HDB does not track the appeals by the flat type that the appellant seeks to purchase.