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It’s no secret that buying a property in Singapore is expensive. Fortunately, there are plenty of housing grants offered by the government to help HDB flat buyers finance their home. One of these grants is HDB’s Proximity Housing Grant (PHG), a grant that helps resale flat buyers to make it more affordable to live with or closer to their families.
If this sounds like you, this article will explain how the grant can help you and the qualifications needed to obtain this grant.
Let’s begin...
What is the Proximity Housing Grant?
First introduced in 2015, the Proximity Housing Grant, or PHG, is an HDB grant that helps Singaporean HDB resale flat buyers who want to live with/closer to their parents/children.
Living with or close to your parents/in-laws can be extremely beneficial; your parents can watch over the kids when you’re away at work or if you have an errand to run; while parents who live closer to their children and grandchildren can spend more quality time together.
Who’s eligible for PHG?
As mentioned, PHG is available for Singaporean singles or married couples/families who are looking to buy a resale flat to live with, or near their parents or children.
According to HDB, “near” means living within a 4km radius to your children or parents, which means that they don’t necessarily need to live in the same area/township as you.
Also note that your parents/children do not need to live in an HDB flat, so you’re still eligible for PHG even if they live in a private property.
For singles, the flat types you’ll be eligible for under the PHG are the following:
For | Flat type |
Singles living near parents | 2 to 5-room flat |
Singles living with parents | Any flat type |
How much can you get from PHG?
Under PHG, family (married/engaged couples) home buyers will receive a PHG of $30,000 if they live with their parents/children and $20,000 if they live near their parents/children.
Singles, meanwhile, will receive a PHG of $15,000 if they live in the same resale home as their parents/children and $10,000 if they buy a resale HDB flat near their parents/children.
Here’s a simplified table for better visualisation:
Family
$30,000
$20,000
Singles
$15,000
$10,000
Remember that PHG can be combined with other grants too, including the new Enhanced Housing Grant (EHG), Family Housing Grant and the Singles Grant.
7 other PHG eligibility requirements that you should know
#1. Type of property
Remember, PHG is only available for resale flat buyers, so you won’t be eligible for PHG if you’re planning on getting a BTO flat.
#2. Citizenship status
Only Singaporeans are eligible for the grant.
Plus, if you’re buying the HDB resale flat with your family, there must be at least someone in the family who is either a Singapore Citizen or a Singapore Permanent Resident.
#3. Age of applicant
You also have to be at least 21 years old if you are applying for the resale flat with your family.
If you’re applying for a resale flat as a single under the Single Singapore Citizen Scheme, the Joint Singles Scheme, or the Public Scheme (if your parents are included in the resale application as co-applicants or occupants), you’ll have to be at least 35 years old.
#4. Family nucleus
When applying as a family, you’ll also be required to apply with either of the following individuals in order to qualify for the PHG:
- Spouse and children (if any)
- Fiancé/fiancée (a photocopy of your marriage certificate must be submitted within 3 months from the resale completion date if your marriage is registered overseas)
- Children under your legal custody, care, and control (if widowed/divorced)
If you’re a divorcé or divorcée and are sharing the custody of your children with your ex-spouse, you’ll need to get a written agreement from him or her as well, before you can include your children in the flat application.
#5. There is no income ceiling
Unlike other grants, the PHG doesn’t have an income cap, so you’ll be eligible for the full grant amount as long as you meet the requirements of the PHG.
#6. Flat type and lease
Remember, you are qualified for the PHG even if your parents/children live in a private property. If you're buying as a family/couple, the resale flat must be 2-room or larger.
#8. You can only receive the PHG once
Just one point to note - you won’t be entitled to the PHG if you’ve received it before.
HDB’s Proximity Housing Grant: More than a subsidy
The most obvious benefit of the PHG is that you’ll be able to fork out a lower amount to buy an HDB resale flat. Resale flats tend to be more expensive than BTO flats, and a resale flat becomes more affordable with the PHG.
So this means your options for HDB housing will become much wider too. This is assuming your budget is relatively tight and you’ve been restricting your options only to BTO flats, which launch only every quarter and can have quite high quite competition for popular estates.
Reminder: The PHG can be used together with other housing grants to lower the price of your resale flat even further. This includes the following grants:
- CPF Housing Grant for Family
- CPF Housing Grant for Singles
- Enhanced CPF Housing Grant
With the PHG combined with any of these grants, you could end up saving a decent amount of money for your flat purchase.
These savings could go toward funding your children’s education, moving your renovation plans forward, or beginning an investment plan.