BUYING A HDB APARTMENT
Introducing the HDB Flat
HDB towns are well planned with the necessary commercial, recreational and social amenities that are constantly upgraded to stay relevant and meet the needs of one of the fastest growing nations. There are a total of 6 types of HDB flats made available:
- Studio apartment (SA)
A cozy 35/45 sq. meters of floor area designed to meet the needs of the elderly folks/senior citizens. These low-maintenance units are built with elderly-friendly fittings such as built-in wardrobe, built-in kitchen cabinet, window grills, support hand bars, pull cords linked to an alert system and floor/wall tiles.
- 2-room unit
This design is targeted to the lower income group with approximately 45 sq. meters of floor area. It comes with a living area + 1 bedroom with attached bathroom + kitchen + storeroom cum apartment shelter. Owners may opt for the living area to be partitioned to create an additional bedroom to cater for an additional family member.
- 3-room unit
Targeted to the lower/middle income group with approximately 60 sq. meters of floor area, this design comes with a living area + a master bedroom with attached bathroom + 1 bedroom + a common bathroom + kitchen + service yard + storeroom cum apartment shelter.
- 4-room unit
With an estimated 90 sq. meters of floor area, this design is perfectly suited for a medium-sized family. It comes with a living/dining area + a master bedroom with attached bathroom + 2 bedrooms + a common bathroom + kitchen + storeroom cum apartment shelter. This unit type offers a variety of designs to select from that cater to the individual taste of home owners.
- 5-room unit
Designed with a medium-size/small extended family in mind, this unit type has ample floor area of approximately 110 sq. meters. It offers a living area + a dining area + a master bedroom with attached bathroom + 2 bedrooms + a common bathroom + kitchen + storeroom cum apartment shelter.
- Executive unit
This unit type offers a spacious 130 sq. meters of floor area with many unique designs to choose from. These beautifully designed units are the largest flat units made available by HDB aimed to comfortably fit a larger family. It comes with a living area + a dining area + a master bedroom with attached bathroom + 2 bedrooms + a common bathroom + kitchen + storeroom cum apartment shelter + a balcony (selected units).
The HDB flats are affordable homes that are very well maintained. They are located all over Singapore
Homebuyers may opt to have a Standard or Premium unit. Standard units come with minimal finishing/fittings, allowing home owners to have a free hand in designing their home. On the other hand, those who prefer to have less hassle may choose the ready-to-move-in Premium units which are fitted with porcelain ceramic/timber stripped floorings and quality sanitary ware.
Buying a HDB flat
When buying a HDB flat, there are certain criteria that need to be fulfilled in order for you to acquire a unit. The size of your family and whether you are able to fulfill the conditions set out by HDB’s regulations play an important part in having your application approved.
Balloting Exercise (BE)
A Balloting Exercise (BE) refers to an exercise that offers interested buyers to buy a HDB flat within the existing townships. The units offered for the BE are usually surplus standard units that have met the re-housing needs of Selective En-bloc Redevelopment Scheme (SERS).
Build-To-Order (BTO)
While the BE offers fewer available units for interested buyers to tender for, BTO offers a more flexible choice of when and where these buyers would like to own a home. In a nutshell, this process begins with eligible potential owners submitting applications for their preferred location and if there is substantial demand for units in a particular location, the applicants will be shortlisted and invited to tender for a unit, all before construction begins.
Eligibility
Category | 2 / 3 / 4 / 5-room & Executive | Studio Apartment (SA) |
| Family Nucleus (FN) | Public A. Buyer + spouse + children (if any) B. Buyer + parents + siblings (if any) C. Buyer + children under legal custody (widowed/divorced) Fiance/ Fiancée Buyer + fiancé/fiancée Orphan Buyer + unmarried sibling(s) | Buyer + spouse UNLESS unmarried/divorced/widowed |
| Citizenship | Buyer MUST be SC + One(1) of the members of FN of Buyer MUST be SC / SPR | Buyer MUST be SC |
| Age of Buyer | >21 years old (on application) | >55 years old (on application) |
| Gross Monthly Household Income for Buyer(s) (at time of application) | $2,000 (2-room) OR $3,000 (3-room) OR $8,000 (3-room Premium, 4-room, 5-room or Executive) OR $12,000 (combined purchase with extended family 3-room Premium, 4-room, 5-room or Executive) | Must not exceed $8,000 |
| Ownership | Buyer (+spouse) and occupiers (+spouse) listed must NOT own/has disposed of other apartment/house/building/land/estate 30 months before/between application & taking possession date of new apartment | Own HDB Flat To dispose of unit within 6 months of taking possession of new SA Own Private Property To dispose of private property before taking possession of new SA |
Key:
SC – Singapore
SPR – Singapore Permanent Resident
SA – Studio Apartment
FN – Family Nucleus
Other eligibility conditions to look into before you can own a HDB flat are:
- Time Bar, applicable for all HDB types
- Household status, applicable only for 2-room, 3-room, 4-room, 5-room and executive
- Medisave Top-Up, applicable only for Studio Apartments
- Offset of Resale Levy, applicable only for Studio Apartments
- Payment of Premium, applicable only for Studio Apartments
- Use of CPF, applicable only for Studio Apartments
