HDB BTO Applicants Who Declined to Select Their Flat

Mr Gan Thiam Poh asked the Minister for National Development (a) whether the 40% of HDB BTO applicants who declined to select their flat is consistent for each flat type, from 2-room to 3Gen flats; (b) if not, what are the respective rates of decline for each flat type; (c) whether the rate is the same for the different buyer groups of 2-room Flexi flat; and (d) whether the Ministry will consider different targeted approaches for each flat type to prioritise those who need them most and are less selective about their choice of flat.

The 40% non-selection rate is fairly consistent across the different flat types. In the 2021 Build-To-Order (BTO) exercises, the non-selection rate by flat type ranged from 36.1% (4-room flats) to 44.7% (2-room flexi flats).

For 2-room flexi BTO flats launched in 2021, the non-selection rates for seniors and first-timer (FT) families were both about 45%. Second-timer families and FT singles had non-selection rates of about 51% and 43% respectively.

Currently, applicants with greater housing needs are given priority in HDB’s flat allocation system, such as through the different allocation quotas and priority schemes. To streamline flat allocation so that those who need a flat can secure one more quickly, we have recently announced a tightening of non-selection rules at the Ministry of National Development's Committee of Supply debate. This adjustment will take effect from the August 2023 BTO exercise and will apply across all flat types.