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460 appeals to delay BTO flat key collection in past 5 years

SINGAPORE — Of the 113,000 new Housing and Development Board (HDB) flat bookings made since 2010, 9 per cent of them, or 10,000 applicants, had failed to complete the purchase as of Jan 31 this year, while 460 appeals were made between 2010 and last year to delay the collection of keys.

SINGAPORE — Of the 113,000 new Housing and Development Board (HDB) flat bookings made since 2010, 9 per cent of them, or 10,000 applicants, had failed to complete the purchase as of Jan 31 this year, while 460 appeals were made between 2010 and last year to delay the collection of keys.

The rise in appeals corresponded with the increased number of flats completed during that five-year period, Minister of State (National Development) Desmond Lee said in Parliament yesterday.

In 2010, 30 appeals were made, followed by 50, 90, 90 and 200 in the subsequent years, he said.

Responding to Jurong GRC Member of Parliament Ang Wei Neng’s question on the number of Build-to-Order (BTO) flat applicants who have appealed to delay their collection of keys, Mr Lee said 460 appeals were made from 2010 to 2014. Of these, 180 were from first-time applicants, mostly for four- and five-room flats, while smaller flat types saw more appeals from second-time applicants. To date, three in four applicants have collected their keys.

On Thursday, the HDB announced that applicants who wish to get an HDB housing loan will need to produce a valid HDB Loan Eligibility (HLE) Letter when they book a flat.

Previously, applicants only had to do so when they signed the Agreement for Lease, which takes place four months after booking the flat. The move was introduced to help buyers better plan their finances, the HDB had said.

The board also revealed on Thursday that its first BTO exercise of the year would see close to 4,000 new flats being put up for sale under five projects in estates including Bukit Batok, Hougang and Geylang. This is the first batch of the 16,900 BTO flats the HDB plans to release this year.

Mr Ang also asked if there has been a rising number of buyers who have had to appeal to delay their key collection due to financial difficulties, to which Mr Lee replied that the HDB would assess the circumstances of each applicant and see how best to assist them.

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