Debated in Parliament on 14 Jan 2026.
Ms Hazlina Abdul Halim asked the Minister for National Development (a) whether the Ministry will review the voting framework for the Home Improvement Programme (HIP) in light of a recent case of two ageing HDB blocks that did not secure enough votes for HIP by a narrow margin; and (b) whether alternative upgrading options can be offered to provide residents with access to essential maintenance support.
The Home Improvement Programme (HIP) aims to address safety and common maintenance issues that arise due to wear and tear in older flats. For HIP to proceed, majority consent of 75% of eligible Singaporean households in the block is required.
In the last 10 years, six residential Housing and Development Board (HDB) blocks did not garner more than 75% of votes from eligible Singapore Citizen households for the Home Improvement Programme (HIP). These include one block at Serangoon Ave 2 in 2017 and three blocks at Lengkong Tiga in 2023. More recently, two blocks in Tiong Bahru polled unsuccessfully in November 2025.
For the four blocks at Serangoon and Lengkong Tiga, HDB received appeals from the flat owners and Advisers for a re-poll. After careful review, HDB allowed these blocks to re-poll after about one year from the first poll. All four blocks re-polled successfully for the HIP.
We understand that under the current voting process, blocks with fewer eligible units may face greater risks of not reaching 75% of votes to proceed with HIP. We will review the voting process for such blocks to balance between helping older estates to benefit from the HIP, while respecting the decision of flat owners. One option we are studying is to group the blocks with fewer units to vote together as one cluster, so that there are sufficient number of households taking part in the voting process.
Outside of HIP, HDB supports flat owners who require assistance with ceiling leaks and spalling concrete issues through the Goodwill Repair Assistance scheme. Households with seniors who meet the eligibility criteria may also apply directly to HDB for the installation of senior-friendly fittings and accessibility solutions via the Enhancement for Active Seniors programme. For both assistance schemes, HDB will co-pay part of the repair or installation costs for eligible households.
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