After woman’s post about applying for BTO 11 times goes viral, FB user suggests those who fail should be given priority

SINGAPORE: The TikTok video of a woman about her attempts to obtain a Built-To-Order (BTO) flat has gone viral, especially after the Housing & Development Board publicly addressed her claims in a Facebook post that also went viral.

The incident led one commenter to suggest that people who apply numerous times for a BTO should be given priority the next time they try again.

On March 3, Ms Chua, one-half of the account called @Xin & Xuan, said that after a “wild goose chase” of applying for BTO many times, she decided to buy a resale flat instead. While she originally said her number of applications had reached 13, she later corrected this to say they had applied 11 times.

Ms Chua shared screenshots of messages that showed their ballot results had been unsuccessful and that she had never been invited to select a unit, since her queue number had exceeded the number of flats available.

Also sharing a screenshot of a Straits Times article that said some BTO projects had leftover units, she wondered why she had never been informed that there were still available flats.

Ms Chua even went to the extent of appealing to her Member of Parliament, Marine Parade’s Tan See Leng, for help, but to no avail.

When they were asked to come to Farrer Park Fields to book a flat for the February 2023 BTO, they received a message on the day of the appointment that all of the four-room flats in Kallang Whampoa had been sold, which meant they no longer needed to go to the appointment.

Finally, after three years and tiring of the process, she just decided to give up and go for a resale flat instead.

HDB’s response

In a Facebook post last updated on March 15, HDB acknowledged that between Nov 2020 and May 2023, Ms Chua had applied 11 times for four-room flats. However, because the first 10 times she applied, she did so at locations such as  Kallang-Whampoa and Bukit Merah,” where demand significantly exceeded supply, she was unsuccessful in securing a chance to book a flat.”

“We encourage flat applicants with more urgent housing needs to consider applying for projects with lower application rates to improve their chances of securing a flat,” HDB added.

What netizens are saying

Commenting on Ms Chua’s post, a number of netizens shared their experiences in also applying many times for a BTO flat but ending up unsuccessful.

When some criticised Ms Chua for only applying at more accessible locations, others sprang to her defence.

Additionally, on the post from HDB, a Facebook user wrote, “Some people apply at certain locations because it’s near their parents or due to its close proximity to their workplace. Imagine getting a flat so far away from your workplace and having to go through a long commute to and from work, and I’m talking about 2 hours by public transport. Shouldn’t HDB give those who have failed a certain number of times a priority at the next available BTO exercise?”

“The reply from HDB always forgets that buying HDB is not buying a toy, as buying HDB is a long-term commitment, in which applicants need to select what is best for them, and is not simply just selecting those HDB available,” another added. /TISG

Read also: Build To Minister’s Order,’ Chee Hong Tat says HDB can add more BTOs if demand remains strong