The BTO exercise which was originally scheduled for May, will be combined with August’s launch.
The Housing and Development Board (HDB) will combine the Build-To-Order (BTO) exercise originally set for launch in May with the August BTO exercise, it said in a release on 29 May.
This means HDB will offer around 7,800 BTO flats in Bishan, Ang Mo Kio, Geylang, Choa Chu Kang, Tampines, Pasir Ris, Woodlands and Tengah in August.
It will also offer around 5,700 flats in Sembawang, Bishan, Tengah, Tampines and Toa Payoh in November.
Of these, the BTO units in Tampines North and Choa Chu Kang from the August exercise and those in Tengah from the November exercise will have shorter waiting times.
Lee Sze Teck, Director of Research at Huttons Asia, believes the Geylang, Woodlands and Pasir Ris BTO locations are ideal since they are very near to an MRT station and amenities.
Pasir Ris BTO, for instance, is near to the upcoming White Sands shopping mall and future cross island line, while Woodlands BTO is right beside the regional centre as well as Causeway Point.
“We could see up to 10 applicants for each flat on offered in the mature estate and up to four applicants for each flat in the non-mature estates,” he said.
HDB also revealed that the launch of the pilot assisted living project at Bukit Batok, which will cater to the needs of seniors 65 years of age and above, will be deferred at a later date.
“As senior-centric activities will continue to be suspended, HDB will defer the launch of the pilot project until a later date, when we are better able to reach out to seniors to share the details of the flat offerings with them,” it said.
And with Singapore resuming economic and business activities in phases from 2 June, HDB announced that it will gradually resume selected customer-facing services and operations as well as calibrate the restart of construction activities that were allowed by the Multi-Ministry Taskforce.
As such, services at the HDB Hub and Branches from 2 June will strictly be by appointment only, with no walk-ins allowed.
“HDB officers will contact customers directly to schedule their appointments, as our e-appointment system will continue to be suspended and customers will not be able to book their own appointments. Customers visiting the HDB Hub and Branches will be required to observe safe distancing and safe management measures,” said HDB.
Also read: 5 BTO Projects That Have Recently Crossed their 5-Year HDB MOP in 2020
It also advised customers with no prior appointments against visiting the HDB Hub and Branches.
“They can continue to use the suite of e-Services on our HDB InfoWEB to liaise with us on residential, business, car parks and other matters.”
HDB added that it will schedule appointments for critical services deferred due to the circuit breaker period.
“These include the booking of flats, key collection for new flats and rental flats, signing of Agreement for Lease, completion of resale flat transactions and transfer of flat ownership, and financial counselling on assistance measures.”
Housing inspections for ongoing resale transactions and critical maintenance works will also resume for customers with scheduled appointments.
“HDB will schedule appointments for other services progressively from 8 June 2020 onwards. These include the signing of tenancy documents and issuance of keys for commercial properties.”
On the calibrated restart of construction activities, HDB shared that its is working closely with its building contractors as well as the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) on the phased resumption of construction works at various sites.
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All construction activities at HDB’s worksites have been suspended since 7 April due to the government’s circuit breaker measures.
“We expect the completion of some BTO projects to be delayed by up to six months beyond their original estimated completion dates, as a result of the suspension of construction activities during the circuit breaker period, as well as strict safe management measures that need to be put in place at worksites to prevent major COVID-19 outbreaks,” said HDB.
“Where the project completion dates are affected, we will keep flat buyers informed of the revised probable completion dates via their My HDBPage account.”
HDB, however, revealed that upgrading works will not resume, adding that it is working with BCA and their contractors to assess how and when “works can resume in a safe and calibrated manner”.
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Victor Kang, Digital Content Specialist at PropertyGuru, edited this story. To contact him about this or other stories, email victorkang@propertyguru.com.sg