Landmark Geylang plot: 35 households ask for help to qualify for public housing

SINGAPORE — Thirty-five households in the stretch of private terrace houses along Lorong 3 Geylang, which is due to be returned to the state, have asked for help to qualify for public housing, the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) said on Tuesday (Oct 3).

The authority said these households will be helped to do so, though a small number may have to sell their other properties before they can buy a new Housing and Development Board (HDB) flat.

Two households, for instance, “must dispose” of their other private properties within six months of collecting the keys to their new flat if they wish to get a two-room flat under a scheme that gives senior citizens the flexibility to pick a short lease.

“SLA will continue to guide the owners through the lease expiry process. Owner-occupants will not be left without options,” SLA said in its statement.

In June, the authority announced that the 191 private terrace houses along Lorong 3 Geylang will be demolished to make way for public housing, as the land they occupy becomes the first residential plot to be returned to the state upon expiry of the 60-year lease.

The occupants have until the end of 2020 to remove all their belongings, clear the premises, terminate all utilities and services, and pay all outstanding bills.

Of the 191 units, 104 are in touch with the SLA while the other 87 have not made contact.

Of the 35 units occupied by their owners or their family members, one managed to secure a two-room flat in a build-to-order (BTO) exercise in August, and three other households are waiting to find out if they have secured an unsold flat from that exercise.

As for the other households, the SLA said they are encouraging them to consider applying in one of 13 other sales exercise from now till December 2020, when their lease expires. This includes an upcoming launch next month which will offer flats in Geylang, it noted.