PAPERCUTSLess Stringent Criteria for Rental and Purchase of HDB Flats for Families Affected by Divorce or With School-going Children
- Mr Zainal Sapari asked if HDB could relax income criteria for rental flats and give priority to families with school-going children, especially those affected by divorce, for both rental and Sale of Balance Flats (SBF).
- The Minister responded that the income ceiling for rental flats is regularly reviewed and flexibility is allowed for divorced parents with children; priority for rental flats is granted case-by-case to families with school-going children, and the waiting time has dropped significantly.
- For SBF exercises, priority is already given to families with children through schemes like the Third Child Priority Scheme and Parenthood Priority Scheme.
- Mr Zainal Sapari followed up by asking if second-timers could also get priority for SBF purchases, not just first-timers.
- The Minister clarified that HDB prioritizes first-timers for home ownership, and second-timers who have owned an HDB flat before do not receive priority over first-timers.