Artist’s impression of the Saraca Breeze @ Yishun BTO project. (Source: HDB)
The three-generation (3Gen) flats launched by the Housing and Development Board (HDB) from 2013 to 2015 recorded an average take-up rate of 83 percent, with buyers booking 651 of the total 786 units, reported TODAYonline, citing a media fact sheet from the agency.
Of the 651 flats, 53 percent were taken up by second-time buyers, while 47 percent were purchased by first-timers. Three projects in Punggol BayView, Tampines GreenRidges and Saraca Breeze @ Yishun saw strong demand, with all of the 52, 56, and 84 available 3Gen units snapped up respectively.
As of last December, the Housing Board has launched 1,100 units of 3Gen flats across 18 projects.
Education Officer Tan Chow Hua and his family will be among the first to take possession of completed 3Gen flats in Boon Lay View, as owners started receiving their keys in December 2016.
“I wanted my wife, two daughters (and my mother) to stay together to have a closer bond, all along I wanted that. But because of that space constraint… we could not ask her to come over,” said the 49-year-old father who currently lives in a five-room flat in Jurong West.
“(The new flat) fits into our needs. In terms of personal space, everyone has their fair share,” Tan added.
3Gen flats were first introduced by the HDB in 2013 to cater to multi-generation households who want to live under one roof. Measuring 115 sq m, each unit is slightly bigger than five-room flats by five sq m, and comes with four bedrooms and three bathrooms, two of which are en-suite.
To qualify for these flats, an applicant needs to form a multi-generation family consisting of at least a married or courting couple and their parents. Successful buyers also need to complete a Minimum Occupation Period (MOP) of five years, during which they cannot rent out any of the rooms. After that, the unit can only be purchased by other eligible households.
Romesh Navaratnarajah, Senior Editor at PropertyGuru, edited this story. To contact him about this or other stories, email romesh@propertyguru.com.sg
