Debated in Parliament on 7 Oct 2019.
Mr Gan Thiam Poh asked the Minister for National Development (a) what has been the response to the walk-in selection of balance flats since its launch recently; and (b) whether HDB will consider allowing all balance flats to be available for application and selection on a daily basis instead of quarterly.
HDB launched the open booking of flats on 11 June 2019. This allows home seekers to view details of flats on offer at the HDB InfoWEB every day, apply online on a first-come-first-served basis, and book a flat as early as the next working day.
Response to the open booking of flats has been good. About half of the available flats were taken up before the open booking was temporarily suspended on 7 August 2019 to prepare for more flats to be offered. Online applications for the open booking of flats have resumed as of 25 September 2019, and HDB will continue to track the public response.
Other than open booking, HDB also offers balance flats via the Sale of Balance Flats and Re-Offer of Balance Flats exercises. These exercises offer other advantages, such as priority allocation for specific target groups like first-timer families.
HDB will continue to monitor public response to the various sales modes and refine the processes where necessary to better meet the needs of home seekers.
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