Criteria for Assessing Appeals from Families Seeking to Sell HDB Flats before Fulfilling Minimum Occupation Period

Mr Yip Hon Weng asked the Minister for National Development (a) what criteria HDB applies when assessing appeals from families seeking to sell their flats before fulfilling the Minimum Occupation Period due to changed housing needs following the birth of children; and (b) whether HDB will introduce a facilitated pathway for such families to move to larger flats, subject to safeguards against speculative gains.

The Minimum Occupation Period (MOP) is in place to safeguard heavily-subsidised Housing and Development Board (HDB) flats for households with genuine housing needs and deter speculative purchases.

Flat owners who are unable to fulfil the MOP, including families who wish to move to larger flats, may return their flat to HDB. This ensures fairness to the majority of flat owners, who are required to serve out the MOP before selling their flat.

HDB assesses appeals for MOP waivers on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the specific circumstances of the flat owners and their families, the duration of the MOP served and other mitigating factors. This includes larger families whose housing needs have evolved over time.