PERSONS DEBARRED FROM APPLYING FOR HDB FLATS

Mr J.B. Jeyaretnam asked the Minister for National Development if the Housing and Development Board maintains a list of persons who the Board thinks should be debarred from applying for HDB flats and, if such a list is maintained, the various reasons for which persons are debarred.

Mr Teh Cheang Wan: The HDB maintains a list to debar the following categories of applicants from applying for HDB flats:-

a Persons who misuse the flats for illegal purposes eg gambling, drugs, prostitution, etc.

b Persons who assault HDB staff in the performance of duties and are convicted of such offences.

c Vandals of HDB properties who are convicted of such offences.

d Tenants and lessees who have sublet their entire flats without HDB's permission.

e Ex-tenants of HDB flats who have not cleared their rental debts.

f Foreign workers allocated rental flats under the Single Unskilled Workers' Scheme who cause nuisance to the public.

g Employers who fail to exercise control over their foreign workers who have been allocated rental flats under the Unskilled Workers' Scheme.

h Persons who contravene the Government's work permit marriage restriction policy.

i Lessees who sell their HDB flats to their own buyers after 5 years of occupation with no intention to reapply for HDB flats. They are exempted from paying the normal 5% transfer fee and are therefore debarred for 30 months from applying to purchase and rent HDB flats.

j Lessees who transfer their HDB flats to immediate blood relatives within 5 years of occupation, unless the transfer is to their parents and is due to the lessees' intending marriage.