hdb

MPs renew calls to scrap or tweak DBSS scheme

With several Design, Build and Sell Scheme (DBSS) projects coming under fire recently for defects, some Members of Parliament (MPs) have renewed calls for the scheme to scrapped or tweaked, citing the blurred lines of accountability and low public confidence in the quality of these projects. In a Facebook post last week, Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC MP Hri Kumar Nair said he hoped for the Housing and...

About 640 e-applications received for Brownstone EC

Developers of the latest executive condominium (EC) project The Brownstone have received about 640 e-applications since they first opened on Jul 10. City Developments said e-applications for the 638-unit EC will close later on Monday (Jul 20), with booking to start this Saturday. E-applications are typically an indication of interest in an EC project, although applicants are not obliged to buy when...

No compromise in quality despite increase in BTO flats: MND

Despite a significant ramping up in the Build-To-Order (BTO) programme over the last four years, the quality of the flats has not been compromised, Minister of State for National Development Desmond Lee said in Parliament on Monday (Jul 13). Responding to questions from several MPs on defects in BTO flats, Mr Lee said that an average of one-third of all new residents approach the Building Service Centre...

Brownstone EC receives relatively strong response in opening weekend

The latest Executive Condominium (EC) project, located in Canberra Drive in the northern part of Singapore, has received relatively strong response in its opening weekend. The Brownstone received about 300 e-applications over the weekend of Jul 11 and 12, with more than 2,000 visitors at its sales gallery. This was despite a highly competitive market with a number of new EC launches in recent...

Brownstone EC adds to glut as applications open

The glut in the Executive Condominium (EC) market is set to get worse with new launches adding a wave of supply into a housing segment where take-up has been generally lacklustre. On Thursday (Jul 9), developer City Developments (CDL) said applications for The Brownstone EC at Canberra Drive in Sembawang will open from Friday to Jul 20, with bookings to be conducted on Jul 25. CDL did not reveal...

HDB resale volume hits 2-year high: SRX Property

The Housing and Development Board (HDB) resale market showed signs of recovery last month, with the number of units sold reaching a two-year high and prices inching up by 0.1 per cent, the Singapore Real Estate Exchange (SRX Property) said on Thursday (Jul 9). A total of 1,709 HDB resale flats were sold in June, an increase of 8.5 per cent from the previous month and up 30 per cent from a year ago. The...

Public housing estates to try out solutions for smart living

Your home could eventually be part of a test-bed for solutions to enable smart living. Under Singapore's drive to become the world's first Smart Nation, existing public housing estates will participate in a technology trial to see how devices can be integrated into daily life. The Housing and Development Board (HDB) will conduct the trial, with more details to be provided at a later date. It will gather...

HDB flats resale prices continue to slide, down 0.4% in Q2

Flash estimates of the Resale Price Index (RPI) for the second quarter of 2015 showed a 0.4 per cent decline in the prices of Housing and Development Board (HDB) flats over the previous quarter, HDB announced on Wednesday (Jul 1). The flash estimate for the index is 135.0, HDB said, down from 135.6 in the previous quarter – an eighth consecutive quarter of decline. The RPI for the full quarter will...

Heng to lead taskforce to look into complaints over Centrale 8 DBSS estate

Education Minister Heng Swee Keat will oversee a special taskforce formed to look into the complaints of residents living in the Centrale 8 Design, Build and Sell Scheme (DBSS) estate in Tampines. The move comes after a group of residents had sent a petition to Members of Parliament (MPs) from Tampines GRC about the recurring defects found in their homes. In an email to the residents by the chairman...

Unified 2-room, Studio Apartment HDB scheme coming: Khaw

The Housing and Development Board (HDB) is moving to bring studio apartments and two-room flats under a single scheme, National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan announced on a Chinese radio talk show on MediaCorp's Capital 95.8 FM on Tuesday evening (Jun 23). The new scheme, called "2-room Flexi", is currently in its research phase. Under this new scheme, seniors, singles or low-income families will...