HOUSING & DEVELOPMENT BOARD

Dear KEO

          To facilitate salespersons in assisting their clients on housing plans, HDB has been providing KEOs with regular updates on HDB’s regulations, policies and procedures.  In addition, the Estate Agents & Salespersons page found under “Business” on the HDB InfoWEB serves as a one-stop platform for salespersons to find the latest information and equip themselves with the relevant knowledge, from buying/selling an HDB flat on the open market, to renting an HDB flat/bedrooms, as well as useful resources such as the Estate Agent Toolkit.   

 

2        As you are aware, we implemented the HDB Flat Eligibility (HFE) letter on 9 May 2023.  Salespersons may encourage and guide their buyer-clients to make use of HDB’s HDB Flat Eligibility (HFE) e-Service (Step 1) (HDB InfoWEB > e-Services > Search “HFE Flat Eligibility letter (HFE) Letter – Preliminary Check, Application & Status”) to obtain an instant preliminary assessment of their eligibility for a flat purchase, CPF housing grants, and housing loan.  Their clients may then proceed to apply for an HFE letter (Step 2) to complete the various eligibility assessments and obtain an HFE letter that will provide them with a holistic understanding of their housing and financing options.  They can also enquire the status of their HFE letter application via the same e-Service in Step 1.  Do note that the household members listed in the HFE letter application must remain the same for the subsequent flat application. 

 

3       When flat buyers apply for an HFE letter, they may also apply, via the same application, for an In-Principle Approval and Letter of Offer for a housing loan from six participating financial institutions. The processing time for an HFE letter depends on the complexity of the application and the volume of applications received. After we have received all the required information and documents, we could issue an HFE letter within a month, for most cases. We also have calculators in HDB InfoWEB to help salespersons and flat buyers work out the budget to buy a flat, payment plan to buy a particular flat and even to check on the estimated sale proceeds for those looking to sell their flats. 

 

4        There are also other efforts by HDB to familiarise members of the public, including salespersons, with our housing policies and procedures – these include information and e-Services available in HDB InfoWEB, information disseminated in both mainstream and social media channels, as well as resale seminars conducted for those who wish to know more about the process and procedures for buying and selling a resale flat. These resale seminars cover topics from planning, all the way to completing a resale transaction, which could be useful for salespersons who need a refresher.   

 

5        HDB’s Sales/Resale Customer Service Line 1800-8663066 handles high call volume every day.  Among the calls made by salespersons, more than half are on general matters, primarily on the eligibility conditions and procedures to buy or sell a flat on the open market.  As our resources are limited and we will need to prioritise helping members of the public, we would appreciate it if you could encourage salespersons to self-help, by using the resources made available as detailed in the above paragraphs or attend refresher trainings if required.  Salespersons could also advise prospective flat buyers to obtain an HFE letter first to confirm eligibility and budget, to minimise issues subsequently in the resale transaction which they have facilitated.

6        Thank you for your partnership and support.

Yours sincerely


Daniel Chan Kian Sen
Director (Resale)
Estate Administration & Property Group
Housing & Development Board