hdb

Tall orders for HDB flats

BTO project Punggol Spring four times oversubscribed THE demand for public housing continues to be brisk. Case in point: The Housing Development Board’s (HDB) first build-to-order project this year at Punggol Spring is already four times oversubscribed. New flats aside, property agents have also described the HDB resale market as the kingpin for the real estate sector this year. The application for...

Public housing demand continues to be brisk in 2008

The demand for public housing continues to be brisk. HDB's first build-to-order project this year at Punggol Spring is already four times oversubscribed. New flats aside, property agents have also described the HDB resale market as the kingpin for the real estate sector in 2008. The application for Punggol Spring, where 494 units of four-room flats will be built, will not close until 17 March, but the...

New housing grant to encourage singles to live with parents

There will be a new financial incentive to encourage singles to live with their parents. Minister-in-Charge of Ageing Issues Lim Boon Heng disclosed this in Parliament on Wednesday when he responded to concerns raised by MPs over the needs of lonely elderly. Over the last few years, the Housing and Development Board (HDB) has built studio flats for the elderly who still want to stay within the...

Shortage of new HDB flats?

Young couples must be realistic, says Mah  AMID concern that young couples are being priced out of the public housing resale market, National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan said the Government spent, on average, $1.4 billion a year over the last five years on its commitment to keep housing affordable - and has allocated a further $1.6 billion this coming financial year. Last year, demand for public...

Rental flats: Full review on the way

ONE tenant of a public rental flat installed a split-airconditioner in her flat, thanks to her children. Another asked for a season car-parking label. Still other tenants of such heavily-subsidised rental flats - meant as a “final safety net” for the needy with no other options - have been known to sublet their units. The Housing and Development Board (HDB) will not hesitate to clamp down on such...

Lease Buyback Scheme: ‘Unlocking’ value

Lease Buyback Scheme to benefit the elderly Some 25,000 households - or 70 per cent of elderly two and three-room flat owners - will qualify for the Housing and Development Board’s (HDB) new Lease Buyback Scheme (LBS) that kicks off next year. The HDB will buy back the tail end of the flat’s lease from elderly owners at market value, so that they can “unlock” the value of their flat. The lessee...

Mah Bow Tan says acquisition of flat is “absolute last resort”

National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan assured Singaporeans in Parliament on Thursday that compulsory acquisition of a HDB flat is the "absolute last resort" – a serious decision carried out only after all other measures have been exhausted. Mr Mah said this when he gave what he called "the full picture of Madam Judy Mitchell" – whose plight was highlighted by her MP Ong Kian Min of Tampines GRC...

HDB’s new lease buyback scheme to benefit 25,000 elderly households

Some 25,000 households, or 70 per cent, of two- and three-room flat owners will benefit from HDB's new Lease Buyback Scheme. Under this scheme, the Housing Board will buy back the tail end of the flat lease from elderly owners, to help them unlock the value from their flat. Details were announced by National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan in his speech Low income elderly households can sign up for the...

PAP town councils to freeze S&C charges this year

All 14 town councils run by the People's Action Party (PAP) will not be increasing their Service and Conservancy (S&C) charges this year. The freeze applies to both residential and commercial properties, and is aimed at lessening the financial burden of the residents due to inflation. The town councils announced their decision on Thursday in response to the government's call for town councils to hold...

DBSS tender for Bishan site awarded to Qingdao Construction

Qingdao Construction Group Corporation has won a Housing and Development Board (HDB) tender to build public housing flats at a site in Bishan Street 24. It submitted a tender price of S$135,888,777. The site is the fourth to be offered under HDB's Design, Build and Sell Scheme (DBSS) where the developer bids for the land, designs, builds and sells the flats as public housing. The flats have a 99-year...