Debated in Parliament on 2 Mar 2021.
Mr Gan Thiam Poh asked the Minister for National Development (a) how many HDB flats have been sold under the Open Booking scheme since it was launched in June 2019, broken down by room types; and (b) whether HDB will consider (i) injecting fresh supplies of flats more frequently and (ii) increasing the number of flats available under open booking for interested buyers.
Mr Speaker, the Housing Development Board (HDB) launched the open booking of flats in June 2019. This allows home seekers to apply for a flat online and get their flat selection appointment on a first-come-first-served basis, which can be as early as the next working day.
As of 22 February 2021, a total of 1,521 flats, comprising 46 2-room Flexi flats, 273 3-room flats, 601 4-room flats, 597 5-room/3Gen flats, and four Executive flats, have been booked under open booking.
At present, HDB suspends open booking twice a year to inject a fresh supply of flats. The majority of flats offered under open booking comes from the pool of flats that remain unselected after the twice-yearly Sale of Balance Flats (SBF) exercises.
HDB has been exploring ways to offer more flats through open booking. For example, since February 2020, HDB has ceased the Re-Offer of Balance Flats exercises, so that more of the unselected flats from the SBF exercises can be offered directly for open booking. HDB will continue to refine its sales processes to better meet the needs of home seekers.
PAPERCUTS