HDB deploys additional staff to increase appointment slots

Housing and Development Board (HDB) takes in a two-stage procedure to assure resale dealings are dealt smoothly while guarding safely the interests of both sellers and buyers. During the initial designation, HDB meets both sellers and buyers to measure their qualification to sell or buy the apartment, and explicates the important procedures and policies. Typically, it takes around five weeks to obtain the first designation, depending upon the volume of resale transactions.

The next procedure is to prepare the cheque for sellers, legal documents, processing housing loans and grants, among many others. More parties will be included for buyers having a mortgage loan from the banks, which include the solicitors of the bank. On average, depending on the complexity of the dealing, this procedure usually takes around six to eight weeks to complete. In general, it takes around three months for a usual resale dealing to be completed, which is equivalent to the amount of time to finish a private housing dealing.

The volume of resale dealings has grown by more than 50 percent in recent months. Some of the sellers or buyers of resale apartments may not be able to book an early first-appointment date, as many appointment slots are being taken up. By that, HDB will be deploying sufficient staff to lessen the time of waiting for the first appointments and increase the appointment slots.