SINGAPORE: A young Singaporean recently shared on an online forum that her father will essentially be abandoning them soon, as he intends to sell their HDB flat and leave them afterwards to return to his home country alone for personal reasons.
“Feeling really lost and confused at the moment and I would like to hear your thoughts about any advice on what I should do or feel,” she wrote on r/SingaporeRaw.
“Background: all of us are Singapore citizens, father (mid 50’s), mother (early 50’s), my brother and I (early 20’s).”
In her post, she mentioned that the proceeds from the sale of their HDB flat will be split equally between her parents. Her mother plans to use her share to buy or rent an HDB flat for their future, but she’s worried about how feasible this will be since her mother earns only around S$1,500 per month.
She will also be starting at one of the three local universities soon, which will likely bring additional expenses. Meanwhile, her brother is set to begin his National Service in the coming months.
“Why should your father leave you, your mother and your brother behind while getting 50% of the sales all by himself?”
In the comments section, a few Singaporean Redditors criticized the father for being “irresponsible.” They also questioned why the HDB flat needed to be sold if he was the only one moving out.
One netizen thought that the 50/50 is not a fair arrangement. She said, “Why should your father leave you, your mother and your brother behind while getting 50% of the sales all by himself and the other 50% have to be shared between 3 people?”
“You already said that you are starting university and your brother is starting the army. Obviously the cash flow for the family is going to be significantly reduced and now you worry about getting a new roof over your head if the flat is sold.”
Another netizen recommended that she talk to her father and convince him to take a smaller percentage or continue supporting them financially even after he relocates to a different country.
Others, meanwhile, advised the young Singaporean to work part-time, especially during holidays, while the flat hasn’t been sold yet. This way she could help out her mother by paying for her own school expenses.
A few also suggested that instead of renting, perhaps the family could look into resale properties or even lower income housing.
One netizen mentioned that she could also seek advice on financial matters, including managing household expenses and university education, from social workers at the Ministry of Social and Family Development.
To get started, she can contact their “Family Assist – Strengthening Marriages and Divorce Support” service. She can reach them by calling their hotline at 1800-111-2222 or by emailing fam_dssaprogrammes@msf.gov.sg for assistance.
Another netizen suggested that the family consider renting a flat through HDB’s Public Rental Scheme. This scheme offers heavily subsidized rental flats to Singapore Citizen households with no other housing options.
Rental rates under this scheme depend on the household’s monthly income, the type of flat, and whether the applicant is a first-timer or a second-timer. In this case, the young Singaporean and her family would be classified as second-timers since they have previously owned or sold an HDB flat.
For a 1-room flat, the monthly rent would be between $150 and $205, while a 2-room flat would cost between $205 and $275.
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