Forum: Let applicants make more selections in Sale of Balance Flats exercises

I am disappointed with the restrictive application process for the HDB Sale of Balance Flats (SBF) exercise.

SBF applicants are limited to selecting only one estate from 23 available options, and, within that estate, they must choose just one flat type (such as a two-room flexi, three-room, four-room, or five-room/3Gen flat).

This policy significantly reduces applicants’ chances of securing a home, especially in high-demand estates.

For instance, in Serangoon, there are only eight four-room flats available, but, as at Feb 15, more than 50 applicants were already vying for them.

If an applicant gets a queue number far beyond the number of available units, he has no other option as he is locked in to the chosen estate and flat type. 

This rigid process forces unsuccessful applicants to wait for the next SBF exercise or enter the Build-To-Order system, which has much longer waiting times.

I urge the Housing Board to allow applicants to select up to three estates and multiple flat types within those estates to improve fairness and accessibility.

This flexibility would significantly increase applicants’ chances of securing a home, reducing the need for repeated application cycles.

I hope HDB will reconsider this policy to better support Singaporeans in their home-buying journey.

Chan Yaohua