TODAY Online : Grants, smaller flats instead of shorter lease tenure

Grants, smaller flats instead of shorter lease tenure

05:55 AM Mar 09, 2010

by Ong Dai Lin

SINGAPORE - Instead of reducing the HDB flat lease of 99 years to make the flats more affordable, the Government prefers to use other methods to help those with a lower income own a flat, said National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan.

Mr Mah told Parliament the HDB now provides additional grants to the lower-income group and builds smaller flats that are priced more affordably. Another way is to make sure higher-income flat applicants do not compete with them for the same flat - this is why the HDB has a income ceiling for applicants of two-and three-room flats. "With all these in place, we do not see any problem in making HDB flats affordable for first time lower-income families."

Having shorter leases of 60 years for young couples could also be an issue with time - "we are going to run into trouble especially when that particular family grows old", said the minister.

Mr Mah was also asked by MP Cedric Foo if Singaporeans are not buying the flats situated in poorer locations because they are not "priced correctly".

Mr Mah responded: "We do price these less attractive flats cheaper than the other flats. Is it cheap enough? I don't know how cheap is cheap enough."

"But I think the evidence says that people who reject these flats, some of them don't even look at the price when they do reject them. So, it's not just a matter of pricing." Ong Dai Lin

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