The Housing and Development Board (HDB) will have a new CEO in August. She's Cheong Koon Hean, currently the CEO of the Urban Redevelopment Authority. Mrs Cheong will relinquish her current appointment but continue as Deputy Secretary (Special Duties) at the Ministry of National Development (MND) with the responsibility of overseeing land reclamation issues. Current HDB CEO, Tay Kim Poh, will be...
hdb news
Early into his chairmanship of the Housing and Development Board (HDB), Mr Lim Kim San heard about building contractors being crooked. So, he thought that it would be a good idea for him to go around and look at some of the buildings being constructed. The first structure that he saw - an HDB block in Margaret Drive - appeared crooked to him. He went back to his office and declared that either his...
The Housing and Development Board is organising a retail seminar as part of its efforts to help HDB retailers stay competitive and relevant. The seminar, entitled "The Insights of Doing Heartland Business", will dispense practical tips and best practices for retailers to enhance their business. HDB says it is critical for HDB retailers to continually widen their retail knowledge and practices. The...
As of end April, 20,258 flat owners who sublet their rooms have registered with the Housing and Development Board (HDB). Under new rules that kicked in February, new subletting agreements have to be logged with HDB within seven days. Flat owners must also inform HDB of changes to the tenant's particulars, and if they renew or terminate contracts. However, there is no need to seek prior approval for the...
Flat buyers can look forward to more public housing choices under the Design, Build and Sell Scheme (DBSS). The Housing and Development Board (HDB) on Monday awarded a tender for a site that could yield about 700 DBSS flats in Yishun to Guthrie (DBP) and SK Land for S$148.9 million. HDB will tender another three new DBSS sites later this year that could yield about 1,600 flats in Tampines, Bedok...
The Housing and Development Board (HDB) has received 552 applications so far for its Lease Buyback Scheme. The scheme was launched in March 2009 to help the elderly in three-room or smaller flats unlock their housing equity to meet their retirement needs by selling their HDB flats to the government for cash. Parliamentary Secretary for National Development Mohamad Maliki Osman told Parliament on...
The latest Build-To-Order Project, Boon Lay Grove in Jurong West, is receiving heavy interest from home buyers. Observers say the upcoming Jurong Lake District makes the location more attractive. Based on latest figures from the HDB website, more than 3,800 people have applied for the 450 units being offered. That is close to nine times as many applicants as there are units. Some 2,500 people have...
The Housing and Development Board (HDB) can do more for families on the brink of losing their homes, say some social workers. In response, the board says it does show flexibility on a case-by-case basis. Tanjong Pagar Family Service Centre executive director Wong Kwong Sing, for example, hopes interim rental housing can be supplied by the authorities before families are forced onto the streets. "Most...
It took nearly two years and cost $7.4 million but since March this year residents of three rental blocks in Merpati Road have been enjoying new amenities under the Rental Flat Upgrading Programme. Yesterday, Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, who is also Member of Parliament for Marine Parade GRC, officiated at the completion ceremony. Residents in the 360 rental flats form about 5 per cent of the...
More than 1,800 people have taken advantage of the Housing and Development Board's (HDB) second concessionary loan to downgrade to a smaller flat since the rules were relaxed two months ago. The HDB has received more than 4,000 applications for second concessionary loan. So far, about 1,800 applicants were successful. About a quarter of applications were rejected, while the rest are still being...