Breakdown in Number of Unsuccessful Applications for Public Rental Flats Based on Rejection Criteria over Past Five Years

Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis asked the Minister for National Development what is the breakdown in number of unsuccessful applications for public rental flats based on rejection criteria over the past five years.

Mr Desmond Lee: Public rental flats are heavily subsidised and are therefore allocated to households who are in need and do not have other housing options within their means.

From 2016 to 2020, HDB received an average of 7,500 requests regarding rental flats a year. An average of 2,600 such requests per year were successful; the remaining requests included enquiries on eligibility conditions, incomplete requests, and rejected requests.

The common reasons for rejecting requests for rental flats include applicants having the means to buy an HDB flat, having family members who can house them, or not meeting the citizenship criterion. HDB does not track the number of unsuccessful requests based on rejection criteria.

HDB carefully assesses every request to understand each household's circumstances and budget, and will assist households with a rental flat if they have no other housing options.