Earlier this week, MND announced stricter HDB ownership rules for prime areas. This includes a 10-year minimum occupancy. Additionally, singles are not allowed to purchase flats in these locations, when they are 35-years-old.
Previously, single Singaporeans were already limited. For new flats, they can only buy 2-room units at non-mature estates when they turn 35. Now, they can’t even buy resale housing in central locations.
We know that the government wants Singaporeans to get married and to start families. They could have tried to make the country more livable and affordable for Singaporeans to start families. Instead, they rather use their iron fist.
Better To Be A Foreigner?
In a Reddit post, one netter illustrated how this new scheme makes it easier for more foreigners to get housing here than it is for single Singaporeans.
While the scenario painted above is less common now with tighter restrictions on PR/SC applications, the fact of the matter is that a new citizen, regardless of how long they have been here, will be prioritized over a born-and-bred single Singaporean.
As long as the new citizen is married, doesn’t matter if he’s married to a Singaporean or to a PR holding onto a foreign citizenship, they can buy a BTO. They can also buy resale flats in mature estates.
In contrast, single Singaporeans have to either save up for a private housing which costs a fortune, settle for a small new HDB flat or buy a bigger resale flat with less years left, both of which are in non-mature estates.
Also, the demand for private housing will increase with such a rule. Prices will be further driven up, making it more unaffordable for single Singaporeans to buy a house.
This is purely discriminatory!
The government say that they are doing this so that people are not buying the flats to resell and to drive up the prices. If that were solely the case then the increase in occupancy years should be enough! Why must they specifically discriminate singles?
