91% of HDB flats not resold seven years on

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Over 7,200 flats which had been purchased directly from the HDB were sold between January 2007 and November 2011, according to the Ministry of National Development (MND).

The HDB flats, which were sold within two years after their five-year Minimum Occupation Period (MOP), accounted for nine percent of flats that qualified for resale. The remaining 91 percent were not sold or involved in any property transactions.

Dr Lim Wee Kiak, an MP for Nee Soon GRC, said around 2,883 directly purchased flats were sublet within the two-year period after MOP completion. Of these, 971 units were leased to Singapore permanent residents (PRs) in the same period.

In answering queries on whether the HDB will consider installing ramps at subsidised rates for disabled or elderly residents, Mohamad Maliki Osman, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for National Development, explained that such a project would not be practical, due to the limited space along the corridors of flats. In addition, there are fire safety concerns that must be taken into consideration.

However, he added that residents wanting to build ramps at their own cost can file a request with the relevant town council or the housing agency, depending on the kind of ramp to be installed.

He added that such requests will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, to ensure that the ramp does not cause “disamenities” to other HDB residents.


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