HDB RENTAL FLAT RELOCATION EXERCISE

Dr Koh Lam Son asked the Minister for National Development whether, during the present rental flat relocation exercise, the Housing and Development Board was able to relocate all the tenants to nearby neighbourhood, as promised by his predecessor.

Mr Dhanabalan: Mr Speaker, Sir, the experience so far shows that about 50% of the tenants affected by the relocation exercise take the opportunity to buy flats whilst the other 50% want to continue to rent HDB flats.

For tenants who want to buy flats, the HDB will offer them new flats according to their preference in the Outer Suburban and New Town Zones where the majority of the new flats are available.

As for tenants who want to continue to rent, vacant flats may not be available in the areas which they prefer. HDB will try its best to allocate the affected tenants alternative rental flats within the same estates. Where alternative rental flats in the same estate are fully taken up, the tenants will be allocated rental flats in neighbouring estates. The record to date shows that HDB has managed to allocate rental flats in the same or nearby estates to about 75% of the tenants who wanted to continue renting flats. The rest were allocated rental flats further away.