“Are we doomed not to be able to afford housing?” — GF asks as BF’s family listed him as joint owner of resale HDB

SINGAPORE: After discovering that her boyfriend’s name was listed as a joint owner of a resale HDB that his family purchased this year, a woman took to an online forum to ask Singaporeans, “Are we doomed not to be able to afford housing?”

In her post on r/askSingapore on Thursday (April 25), the woman explained that she and her boyfriend, both 24, were looking forward to tying the knot in a few years and starting a family by age 30.

However, their aspirations seem to have hit a snag, as they are worried they won’t have the means to afford a home of their own.

“…our biggest issue is in housing because his family used his mother and his name as joint owners of a resale HDB they purchased this year.

I’m not super well-versed in applying for HDB or all of the HDB terms and conditions or grants but here is what I understand.”

“We have to pay the hefty ABSD if we want to get a HDB. Our grants are halved if we do get them at all.

We need to wait an extra 7 years from now to apply/purchase any flat because of his minimum 5-years in his current home + 30 months wait after decoupling with his mother (which is a whole other fee).”

She then asked, “We have a joint income of only about $7000. What options do we have?”

“Pay ABSD for HDB? They won’t even let you buy if he has ownership of another HDB”

In the comments section, Singaporean Redditors informed the woman that her boyfriend cannot legally own two HDB properties simultaneously.

One Redditor said, “He can’t buy another HDB with you because his name is in the mother’s place. The mother has to take over him as the sole owner; the problem is if the mother can pay for his portion/shoulder the loan alone.

And yes, he have to serve MOP before he can do anything, would suggest for you to check with HDB via feedback and seek help from MP.”

Another Redditor commented, “Pay ABSD for HDB? They won’t even let you buy if he owns another HDB. You need to get him to change his ownership of his current flat from owner to occupier. You should speak to HDB for more info.”

A third Redditor also shared, “Look for MP. I had a friend who was in your situation. The MP helped them to waive”

Meanwhile, others wondered why her boyfriend consented to this kind of arrangement, knowing they had plans for the future. This led them to believe that perhaps her boyfriend did not have the same goals as the girlfriend.

One Redditor stated, “The moment your bf put his name on his family flat meant he never considered about his future with you and settling down for a new family with you. He is locked into his family flat already. I would find a new boyfriend.”

Another remarked, “I’m trying to get OP to realize that the bf is either an idiot or he made this decision without consulting her and discussing their future together. Maybe he expects her to move in and live with his mother.”

Read also: Man asks why some Singaporeans say, “It’s not worth marrying a woman if she doesn’t want kids or BTO?”