194 families asked HDB for rental flats amid delays

More than 190 families who cannot move into their new Housing Board (HDB) flats because of construction delays caused by Covid-19 have asked for interim rental housing.

Some projects have been hampered by work hold-ups as well as labour and supply shortages due to the pandemic.

The HDB said it has received 194 such requests, in response to queries from The Straits Times.

Of these, 131 households are already living in their rental units and 39 will be moving in or getting their units soon. The remaining 24 withdrew their requests.

Among the 194 families that asked for interim rental housing are 17 future home owners of a Build-To-Order (BTO) project in Punggol who face a one-year delay after the HDB terminated the building contractor's services in August last year.

Fourteen of them are already living in their allocated rental units while the remaining three will be getting their units soon.

The affected housing project, called Waterway Sunrise II, has 1,014 units across seven blocks.

The original estimated completion date was the first quarter of this year for Block 653A, and the second quarter of this year for the remaining six blocks.

Home owners will now get the keys to their flats only in the first or second quarter of next year.

The previous building contractor, Lian Ho Lee Construction, was fired by the HDB for not being able to meet project milestones.

The project has been handed over to a new building contractor - Expand Construction.

"Construction works at Waterway Sunrise II are making steady progress and there are no further changes to the project completion timeline," the HDB told ST.

Flat buyers will be kept updated on the revised completion date through My HDBPage as construction progresses.

The HDB had previously said that some BTO projects would be delayed by six to nine months beyond their estimated completion dates due to Covid-19, although it would strive to reduce the delay where possible.

Construction at most projects were halted last year to curb the spread of the disease.

Flat buyers who are unable to find alternative accommodation, with relatives or from the open market, while waiting for their flats to be completed may apply for interim rental housing at www.hdb.gov.sg/MyRequest

Under the scheme, the average monthly rent for a one-room flat is about $300 and the rent for a two-room flat is about $400, depending on flat location, the HDB added.

A check on the HDB website showed that two-room flats are available in Sumang Lane in Punggol and Canberra Street in Sembawang.

Three-room and four-room flats are available under the Parenthood Provisional Housing Scheme, which is another HDB programme that provides families with interim rental housing.

A future home owner at Waterway Sunrise II who wanted to be known only as Ms Tay is among those successful in applying for a two-room interim rental flat.

"As newlyweds, we prefer to have our own space and privacy," she said. "Because we managed to get this rental flat, we can still stick to the plan of having a kid this year."

The 30-year-old, who works in retail, has bought a washing machine, fridge and bed for her rental flat. These will also be used at her new BTO flat when it is ready.

"We were able to choose between a few locations and we picked Punggol so that we can get used to living in this neighbourhood before we move into our BTO flat next year," she added.