HDB launched 6,800 flats for sale today, under the October 2023 Build-To-Order (BTO) exercise. These flats are launched across 8 projects in both mature and non-mature estates. 6 of the projects, or about 75% of all flats offered, have a waiting time of 4 years or below.

Wide Selection of Affordable Flats for Different Budgets and Needs

2. The 8 BTO projects in this exercise are in Choa Chu Kang, Kallang / Whampoa, Queenstown, and Tengah. A wide selection of flats, ranging from 2-room Flexi to 3Gen flats, is offered to meet diverse housing needs. The new flats are priced with significant market discounts to ensure affordability, and hence selling prices are considerably lower than the transacted prices of comparable resale flats.

3. Eligible first-timer families can benefit from the Enhanced CPF Housing Grant (EHG) of up to $80,000. With the EHG, flat buyers may pay as little as $141,000 for a 3-room flat and $259,000 for a 4-room flat in the non-mature estate of Choa Chu Kang, and can service their mortgage through CPF, with little to no cash outlay. In the mature estates, the prices after grant start from $279,000 and $435,000 for a 3-room and 4-room flat, respectively, in Kallang / Whampoa. See Table 1 for the starting BTO flat prices before and after grants, and the comparable resale prices. More details on the BTO flat prices and nearby resale transactions can be found in Annex A.

Table 1: Flat Prices in October 2023 BTO Exercise

Town	Project	Flat Type	Selling Price (Excluding Grants)	Selling Price (Including Grants ^)	Transacted Prices of Resale Flats Nearby ^#
Non-Mature Estates
Choa Chu Kang	Rail Green I & II @ CCK	2-room Flexi	From $106,000	From $26,000	$295,000 - $320,000
		3-room	From $216,000	From $141,000	$410,000 - $420,000
		4-room	From $319,000	From $259,000	$515,000 - $615,000
		5-room	From $463,000	From $418,000	$642,000 - $728,000
		3Gen	From $471,000	From $426,000	-
Tengah	Plantation Edge I & II	2-room Flexi	From $114,000	From $34,000	$305,000 - $370,000
		3-room	From $232,000	From $157,000	$420,000 - $452,000
		4-room	From $353,000	From $293,000	$550,000 - $650,000
		5-room	From $460,000	From $415,000	$669,000 - $793,000
Mature Estates
Kallang / Whampoa	Rajah Residences Tenteram Vantage	2-room Flexi	From $176,000	From $96,000	-
		3-room	From $339,000	From $279,000	$528,888 - $568,000
		4-room	From $480,000	From $435,000	$690,000 - $850,000
Prime Location Public Housing Model
Kallang / Whampoa	Verandah @ Kallang	2-room Flexi	From $193,000	From $113,000	-
		3-room	From $368,000	From $308,000	$675,000 - $833,000
		4-room	From $535,000	From $490,000	$928,000 - $1,100,000
Queenstown	Tanglin Halt Cascadia	3-room	From $364,000	From $304,000	$540,000 - $655,288
Queenstown	Tanglin Halt Cascadia	4-room	From $537,000	From $492,000	$745,000 - $938,000

Note: Selling prices are rounded up to the nearest thousand dollars.

^ Unless otherwise stated, the starting prices of the flats are based on 99-year leases. For illustration purposes, the assumed EHG amounts are:
i. 2-room Flexi flat: $80,000
ii. 3-room flat: $75,000 in non-mature town and $60,000 in mature town and Prime Location Public Housing Model
iii. 4-room flat: $60,000 in non-mature town and $45,000 in mature town and Prime Location Public Housing Model
iv. 5-room / 3Gen flat: $45,000 in non-mature town

The starting prices after grant amounts are illustrative, assuming that the household incomes of eligible first-time buyers of flats in the mature towns are higher. The actual grant amount received will depend on the buyers’ income and eligibility. Read more on EHG in HDB InfoWEB.

^# Details on the comparable resale flats can be found on the HDB Flat Portal. In making comparison, please take into account the differences in attributes between the comparable resale flats and the BTO flats.

75% of BTO flats Have Waiting Times of 4 years and below

4. 6 of the 8 BTO projects in this launch, or about 75% of the flats on offer in both mature and non-mature estates, have a waiting time of 4 years and below. In particular, flat buyers who are looking to move into their flats sooner may consider applying for the flats at Plantation Edge I & II in Tengah and Rail Green I @ CCK, which have the shortest waiting times among all the projects on offer at this sales launch, ranging from 3 years to 3 years and 4 months.

Prime Location Public Housing

5. Two projects – Verandah @ Kallang and Tanglin Halt Cascadia – are offered under the Prime Location Public Housing (PLH) model. As PLH flats are priced with additional subsidies on top of the substantial market discounts applied across all BTO flats, owners of these flats will have to return 6 percent of the resale price or valuation (whichever is higher), upon the sale of their flats.

6. 20 per cent of the PLH flats in Verandah @ Kallang and Tanglin Halt Cascadia will be set aside for first-timer families; and 2 per cent for second-timer families under the Married Child Priority Scheme. This is two-thirds of the usual quotas.^[1]

Introduction of First-Timer (Parents & Married Couples) Category

7. To enhance support for a subset of First-Timer families buying their first home, and help them settle down more quickly, MND and HDB will introduce a new First- Timer (Parents & Married Couples) (FT(PMC)) priority category as announced during the Committee of Supply 2023. This category will be effective starting from this BTO exercise.^[2] First-timers do not need to request for this priority.^[3] HDB will assess and inform them on their eligibility after they submit their new flat application.

8. On top of receiving an additional ballot chance, FT(PMC) applicants applying for 4-room and smaller BTO flats in non-mature estates will be given first priority under the Family and Parenthood Priority Scheme (FPPS). This means that they will be shortlisted ahead of all other FPPS-eligible applicants, and stand a higher chance of being invited to select a flat. Up to 40% of the public flat supply in each BTO exercise is set aside for the FPPS.

Tightened Rules for Non-Selection of Flat

9. To ensure more efficient flat allocation so that those who have urgent housing needs can secure their flats more quickly, HDB will tighten the rules for non-selection of flats with effect from this launch.^[4]

First-timer families, including those under the FT(PMC) category, who incur one non-selection count will be considered second-timers for one year in the computer ballot.
Second-timer families and first-timer singles who incur one non-selection count will have to wait one year before they can submit an application for a new flat.

10. As part of our implementation of the tightened rules non-selection of flats, HDB will make the following adjustments to the application process from this BTO exercise onwards:

BTO/Sale of Balance Flats (SBF) applicants who have received a queue position within the flat supply (e.g. in the October 2023 BTO exercise) will not be eligible to apply for a flat in subsequent BTO/ SBF exercises (e.g. in the December 2023 BTO exercise) until after their flat booking appointment. This will ensure that we do not crowd out other BTO applicants who have not secured a queue position and improve their chances in securing a flat.
Upon incurring a non-selection count in a BTO/SBF exercise, HDB will cancel any existing applications made by the same applicant for subsequent BTO/SBF exercises. For example, those who are able to apply for both the October 2023 and December 2023 exercises, and subsequently incur a non-selection count for their October 2023 flat application will have their December 2023 flat application cancelled. While such applicants can continue to apply for future BTO/ SBF sales exercises, the non-selection count will be accounted for in their applications, as outlined in para 9. This is to prevent unfair advantage for such applicants who would otherwise enjoy multiple balloting opportunities and greater priority for their applications.

These changes would not apply to applications submitted in the May 2023 sales exercise and earlier.

Advice for First-time Flat Buyers

11. Applicants who wish to improve their chances of securing a flat are encouraged to apply for a flat in the non-mature towns of Choa Chu Kang and Tengah, where at least 95 per cent of the 4-room and bigger flats are set aside for first-timer families.

12. To further increase their chances, flat applicants are encouraged to look out for projects with lower application rates, to improve their chances of success. Information on application rates of each BTO project is available on the HDB Flat Portal, which is updated several times a day throughout the 7-day application window.

13. Applicants are encouraged to plan out their finances and work out their budget so that they can select a suitable flat based on their budget, needs and preferences.

HFE letter required from October 2023 BTO Exercise

14. As announced by HDB previously, applicants who wish to participate in the sales exercises from October 2023 must have a valid HDB Flat Eligibility (HFE) letter^[5] when they submit a flat application. It takes about a month to process an HFE letter application after HDB receives all the required documents, and processing may take longer during peak periods like a BTO sales launch. In general, flat applicants should have applied for an HFE letter and submitted all required documents by August 2023, to be able to apply for a flat in this sales launch. More information on the HFE letter is available on the HDB InfoWEB.

15. Flat applications can be made online via HDB Flat Portal from today (4 October 2023) to 10 October 2023. Applicants can apply for only one flat type/category in one town under the BTO exercise. There is no need to visit HDB Hub to get the information or make an application. HDB will shortlist applicants using a computer ballot, and not on a first-come-first-served basis. Hence, applicants do not need to rush to submit applications within the first few hours or even the first few days of the application period, and can submit their application any time during the 7-day period. More details on the application procedures can be found in Annex B.

16. All the information on the flats offered is available on the HDB Flat Portal or through scanning the QR code below.

HDB Flat Portal QR Code

17. Applicants without Internet access may seek support from their family members. Those who need further assistance, such as seniors without family support, may call the HDB Sales/Resale Customer Service Line at 1800 - 866 3066.

Upcoming BTO Exercise in December 2023

18. In December 2023, HDB will offer about 6,000 flats in towns/ estates such as Bukit Panjang, Jurong West, Woodlands, Bedok, Bishan, Bukit Merah and Queenstown. The supply will be subject to review, as more project details are firmed up closer to the launch date. Going forward, HDB will release information on upcoming BTO projects only one exercise ahead, to allow for greater flexibility in the planning of BTO flat supply/location for each sales launch, and ensure that the advance information on BTO projects is as accurate as possible.

19. To ensure that Singaporeans have more choices and improve application outcomes, HDB will consolidate available SBF supply and conduct the next SBF exercise next year. More details on the next SBF exercise will be released when ready.

20. HDB remains committed to provide affordable and accessible housing options to buyers, and will continue to monitor the housing demand closely, making adjustments where necessary. We remain on track to launch a total of 100,000 flats from 2021 to 2025.

^[1] The priority quota for other BTO flats in the mature estates are 30% for first-timer families, and 3% for second-timer families.

^[2] Eligibility criteria would include: (i) families with at least one Singapore citizen child aged 18 years or below; or married couples aged 40 years and below; (ii) never owned or sold a residential property before; and (iii) did not have a chance to book a BTO/SBF flat in the past five years before their flat application.

^[3] For couples who are expecting, they may indicate their pregnancy through the new flat application form.

^[4] HDB will exercise flexibility to waive the non-selection count for applicants who have 10 or fewer available flats to choose from in a BTO sales exercise, or 5 or fewer flats to choose from in a SBF exercise.

^[5] The HFE letter will inform flat buyers upfront of their eligibility for a new or resale flat purchase, CPF housing grants, and HDB housing loan, including the respective grant and loan amounts.

HDB Launches 6,800 Flats in October 2023 BTO Exercise