Statistics on Unsuccessful Applications for Purchase of HDB Flats and Additional Housing Grant

Mr David Ong asked the Minister for National Development (a) what is the current number of cases where applications for the purchase of HDB flats or for Additional Housing Grant have been unsuccessful due to a lack of employment or income records; (b) whether there has been an increasing trend of such cases; and (c) if so, whether the Ministry will consider reviewing the eligibility criteria for measuring stable employment given the dynamic employment landscape in Singapore where turnover rate is high and breaks in employment period is not rare.

For the purchase of HDB flats, applicants need to submit their income documents for verification to ensure that they qualify under the income ceiling. HDB does not track the number of applicants who are unsuccessful in their flat applications due to a lack of employment or income records. However, this is generally not an issue as HDB does accept alternative documents as proof of income.

For the Additional CPF Housing Grant (AHG), about 2% of applications each year, or 200 cases, are unsuccessful due to the lack of employment or income records. There is no sign of an increasing trend.

We require applicants for the AHG to be employed for a continuous period of a year prior to their flat application and to remain employed at the point of flat application. This is to demonstrate that they are able to service their housing loans and sustain ownership of their flats over the long term. Nonetheless, HDB assesses each case carefully and exercises flexibility for job breaks on a case-by-case basis. We will continue to monitor the situation and will review the eligibility criteria if necessary.

Page: 139