SINGAPORE – First-time Housing Board flat buyers who are a couple comprising a Singaporean and a permanent resident (PR) will now get housing grants split equally between them.

In the past, housing grants, which can be as much as $190,000 for resale flats, would be allocated to only the Singaporean buyer.

Those looking to buy HDB flats will now also have their incomes assessed over a period of 12 months, instead of the most recent three or six months.

HDB, in a statement on Monday, set out the latest changes to the way housing grants are given out, including the replacement of the existing HDB loan eligibility letter.

On April 28, HDB said the new HDB flat eligibility letter will give buyers a clearer picture of their purchase costs and financing options.

HDB will now also be able to retrieve a buyer’s personal particulars from the MyInfo data service for eligibility assessment, thus making it more convenient for applicants and cutting down on paperwork in the application process.

The statement said: “HDB will in tandem streamline its income assessment guidelines, including the income assessment period. HDB will also adjust the way it assesses households’ eligibility for housing subsidies for greater consistency.”

The new system of disbursing housing grants is a “fairer approach”, said HDB.

It added that core occupiers who are citizens or PRs would be treated as second-timers after enjoying a housing grant, similar to Singaporean core applicants, who are the only ones viewed as such in the current system.

Only the flat applicants or owners can use their share of the housing grants, which goes into their Central Provident Fund (CPF) Ordinary Account, to pay for the flat purchase.

A core occupier who receives a share of the grants can use it when he is included as an owner, or when he applies to buy his own flat in the future.

An occupier is a family member, such as a spouse, child, parent or sibling, who forms a family nucleus with the applicant to qualify for a flat from HDB.

The revised income assessment, meanwhile, will allow for a more consistent assessment across applicants, said HDB, which noted that jobs are fundamentally different in various aspects, including remuneration structures.

By standardising the period of income assessment to 12 months, where income months are available, it will provide a “clearer assessment” of applicants’ income levels, especially for those whose incomes fluctuate from month to month.

The income components that will be considered include all components from employment or trade, but exclude bonuses.

Meanwhile, the assessment period will cut off two months before an individual applies for an HDB flat eligibility letter. Those who have done so must be employed when they submit their applications in order to be eligible for HDB loans and the enhanced CPF housing grant.

These new guidelines will apply to other schemes where relevant, HDB said, citing examples such as the purchase of executive condominium units from property developers, the Lease Buyback Scheme and Silver Housing Bonus.