Getting a flat (and your priorities) right

Balloting for a BTO flat is not just pure luck. It helps to get your priority (schemes) right too.

First-time home buyers and those with more pressing housing needs are given priority under 6 priority schemes targeting parents, extended families who want to live near each other, and families in HDB’s rental flats.

Parents

Children are a blessing… and may even be a boost for that flat application! There are 3 schemes to help parents or parents-to-be buy their first home, so that their little ones have a safe haven to learn and grow.

1)  First-timer married couples who are expecting, or have a young Singaporean child below 16 years old, will benefit from the Parenthood Priority Scheme (PPS).

2)  And even better news for those with more kids – families with 3 or more children will enjoy priority under the PPS and also the Third-Child Priority Scheme (TCPS). Their application will first be balloted with other TCPS applicants. If unsuccessful, the application will then balloted under the PPS.

3)  Under the Assistance Scheme for Second-Timers (ASSIST), some 2-room Flexi and 3-room flats in non-mature estates will be set aside for divorced or widowed parents with children below 16 years old, including for parents who are second-time flat buyers.

Families or couples wanting to live near or with their parents

4)  Moving out of your childhood home but wish to remain in your favourite hood? The Married Child Priority Scheme helps buyers who are planning to live with or near (within 4km) their parents. Those planning to live together with their parents will get first priority, followed by other MCPS applicants.

5)  The Multi-Generation Priority Scheme also allows you to live near your parents in the same BTO project. You may even be next-door neighbours if you choose adjacent units or units on the same storey.

Tenants of HDB rental flats

6)  Many rental tenants progress to home ownership every year. If you have been renting a flat from HDB for at least 2 years, and are looking to buy a flat, you can apply for a 2-room Flexi and 3-room BTO and SBF flats set aside under the Tenants’ Priority Scheme.

This article first appeared on MyNiceHome, HDB’s official website for all things related to home buying and renovation in Singapore.

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