SINGAPORE: From mid-2025, singles in Singapore will have priority access to Build-to-Order (BTO) flats if they wish to live with or near their families.
This new policy was announced by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong during his National Day Rally speech on Aug 18, as reported by Channel News Asia.
Currently, priority schemes like the Married Child Priority Scheme allow married couples to apply for flats within a 4km radius of their parents’ home.
Recognising that many singles also wish to stay close to their elderly parents, PM Wong stated, “I think we shouldn’t limit this to married children. After all, many single children also want to stay close to their aged parents to take care of them.
So we will extend the priority access to all parents and their children – married or single.”
The extension of priority access is expected to improve the chances of singles getting selected in the computer ballot for flat applications. PM Wong mentioned that the Ministry of National Development (MND) will provide more details about this policy change, which will begin in mid-2025.
Increased grants for lower-income couples purchasing their first homes
In addition, the government is increasing grants for lower-income couples purchasing their first homes. The Central Provident Fund (CPF) Housing Grant will now offer up to S$80,000 to help with the cost of new or resale flats.
PM Wong highlighted that this increase is aimed especially at lower-income groups.
“Once you start work and wish to settle down, we will make sure that there is an HDB flat that is within your budget in every region. We will always keep public housing in Singapore affordable for you,” he assures Singaporeans.
Housing options for seniors
The government is also expanding housing options for seniors. Community care apartments are being introduced to combine elderly-friendly housing with care and social services.
The first of these, Harmony Village @ Bukit Batok, features 169 units in a 15-storey block and will begin welcoming residents later this year.
PM Wong said more of these projects will be launched, and efforts are underway to improve existing homes to be more suitable for seniors, ensuring “everyone can age with dignity, security and peace of mind.”
Addressing the concerns about the property market, PM Wong acknowledged the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to construction delays and rising housing prices. However, he was reassured that the government’s measures were stabilising the market.
“By early next year, the backlog will be cleared. All the BTO projects delayed by COVID-19 will be completed, and residents can collect their keys soon,” he said.
MND had committed to launching 100,000 new flats from 2021 to 2025. By December, over 80,000 flats will be delivered, with all 100,000 units completed by next year.
Despite fluctuations, Singapore’s house price-to-income ratio remains lower than cities like London, Sydney, and Hong Kong. However, PM Wong acknowledged that there is “work to be done” and that efforts are ongoing to make flats more affordable by increasing supply.
He noted that first-time BTO applicants are already seeing improvements, with better chances of securing a queue number and reduced waiting times.
The government aims to cut waiting times for most projects from the current average of about four years to under three years by building ahead of demand.
In addition, there will be a focus on BTO flats in mature estates, where prices are typically higher due to their prime locations. To address this, the government will no longer classify housing estates as mature or non-mature.
Instead, flats will be categorised as Standard, Plus, or Prime based on location and other factors.
PM Wong said the first batch of BTO units under the new framework will be available in October, including projects in Bayshore, Kallang-Whampoa, and Sengkang. /TISG
Read also: What to take note of before applying for BTO
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