Debated in Parliament on 5 Aug 2019.
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked the Minister for National Development whether HDB will, deciding not just on a case-by-case basis and without receiving an appeal, allow a single parent and his/her child to get a HDB rental flat when the duo cannot afford alternative housing options and will otherwise have to share a bedroom with existing family members in the family members' home or stay in the living room because they have no spare rooms available.
Single parents aged 21 and above who wish to apply for a rental flat from HDB with their child are treated similarly with other applicants for a public rental flat. All applicants may submit their application directly at HDB’s rental counters without having to appeal first.
HDB looks into all applications for a public rental flat to assess each individual’s housing options holistically. The applicants’ ability to afford alternative housing options, whether their family has space to accommodate them, as well as whether they face issues such as family conflict are all factors which HDB takes into consideration.
Applicants in the circumstances described by the Member will qualify for a public rental flat.
I thank the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the reply. Can I just clarify, when we say family members, are we just saying the parents or does it include their siblings as well, in terms of when HDB considers the application? Two, you mentioned earlier about whether they can afford alternative housing. How does HDB ascertain whether they can afford it? Is there an income threshold in terms of their household income?
I will first answer the Member's second question. To assess an applicant's ability to afford alternative housing, HDB will work out their housing budget, and they will take into account their income, their age relevant to a housing loan, their savings in CPF and cash, and whether or not they previously had home ownership.
On the Member's other point about siblings, I just wanted to clarify, does he mean whether or not the siblings will house them or does he mean sharing a room with a sibling?
Do we consider whether the parents have a spare room to house the single parent or do we also consider whether their siblings have a spare room to house them as well?
No, we do not expect the sibling to house them.
I thank the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the reply but is there something that we can be more specific about? For example, for all other HDB rental flat application, you have to have a household income of $1,500 and below. Does it apply for single parents, which means if they have a household income of less than $1,500, then again they do qualify for rental flat?
There is a rough guideline. For households with income above $1,500, there are actually many examples of exemptions into public rental that have been given. So, I would not use that as a set principle. If the Member is aware of residents, including single or married parents, who want to apply for a rental flat and he thinks that we may need more information to understand the situation better, then please highlight them to us.
PAPERCUTS