HOUSING BOARD FLATS REGISTER (Retention of priority after rejections)

Mr Yeo Choo Kok asked the Minister for National Development and Communications whether the Housing and Development Board will allow applicants for rental or purchase of HDB flats to remain on the register and still retain their priority after they have thrice rejected flats offered to them, on payment of a service charge for subsequent offers and rejections.

Dr Tan Eng Liang (for the Minister for National Development and Communications): Mr Speaker, Sir, the ruling on balloting of new Home Ownership flats requires applicants who have rejected three offers to re-register if they still wish to purchase HDB flats. The ruling was introduced recently to check the frequent light-hearted rejections of completed flats in the new estates by applicants on the waiting list. The proposed payment of a service charge to retain their priorities would not help in achieving these objectives.

The new ruling does not apply to rental applicants because most of them are in the lower income group and the percentage of rejections for rental flats is very low.