ELIGIBILITY FOR BUYING AN HDB

ELIGIBILITY FOR BUYING AN HDB
Singaporeans maintain a high standard of living and prefer quality homes in prime locations. The Singapore Housing and Development Board (HDB), a statutory board under the Ministry of National Development, has been successful in meeting the residential requirements of its citizens. The board is dedicated to develop quality housing townships for the people of Singapore. The different types of HDB flats include studio apartments, 2-room units, 3-room units, 4-room units, 5-room units and executive units. In order to buy an HDB flat, a person must fulfill certain criteria that are mentioned below:

Income Eligibility
It is one of the most important eligibility criteria for buying an HDB in Singapore. The income ceiling for various types of HDB flats are listed below:

2-room flats - Gross monthly household income of the buyer should not exceed 2,000 Singaporean dollars.
3-room flats - Families whose gross monthly household income does not exceed 3,000 Singaporean dollars are eligible.
3-room premium, 4-room or 5-room executive flats -
1. Gross monthly household income of the buyer should not exceed 8,000 Singaporean dollars.

2. Gross monthly household income of the buyer should not exceed 12,000 Singaporean dollars if the applicant plans to buy the property along with the extended family

Studio apartment - The gross monthly household income of the buyer should not exceed 8,000 Singaporean dollars.
Citizenship

The buyer of an HDB should be a citizen of Singapore. One of the members of the family nucleus (FN) should also be a citizen or a permanent resident of Singapore. The same rules are applicable on the siblings, children, parents or spouses of Singaporean citizens who wish to buy an HDB.

Age
Those who are applying for an HDB in Singapore should be at least 21 years of age or more at the time of applying. A buyer opting for a studio apartment should be at least fifty years or more at the time of applying.

Family Nucleus
Singaporeans who apply for HDB flats should have a proper family nucleus (FN) that can be categorized under three schemes listed below:

Public
Under this scheme, the applicant along with his/ her spouse, parents, children (if any) and siblings (if any) are included.
Fiance/ Fiancee: This scheme covers the applicant along with his/ her fiance/ fiancée.
Orphan: Under this scheme, the applicant and his/ her unmarried siblings are included.
In case of studio apartments, the applicant should include the spouse in the application. Those who are widowed, unmarried or divorced, can solely apply for a studio apartment.

Balloting Exercise (BE)
It is related to the exercise that helps interested buyers to purchase an HDB flat within the premises of the existing township. The units that are generally offered for BE are standard surplus units that must meet the re-housing needs of Selective En-bloc Redevelopment Scheme (SERS). HDB has been instrumental in providing quality homes at affordable rates to the citizens of Singapore. Therefore, for acquiring homes of their preferred choice and location, Singaporeans should be well acquainted with the eligibility criteria set by the Housing and Development Board.

Built to Order (BTO)
In comparison to fewer available units that are offered by BE (Balloting Exercise), the Built to Order (BTO) provides a more flexible choice to interested buyers. Potential buyers can get suitable information from BTO related to the time and location for buying a flat. In other words, it is a process which begins with the submission of applications by buyers for their preferred locations. In case of demand for units at a particular location, applicants are shortlisted and a tender is invited for that unit, which has to be submitted before the actual construction begins.