SINGAPORE - The Housing Board will extend its May sales launch by three days following complaints of technical glitches and long waiting times to enter its flat portal.

In a Facebook post on Thursday, HDB said it had been “progressively resolving glitches” for the sales application system, and is working on enhancements to improve the overall system performance.

Applications will now close at 11.59pm on June 8, instead of June 5, on the HDB Flat Portal.

“We seek our buyers’ continued understanding and patience,” it said.

“However, we know that many applicants have been inconvenienced by the system glitches over the past two days, and understand their concerns over not being able to apply for a flat in this sales launch.

“We are sorry for the negative service experience, and would like to assure them that we are reaching out to assist those who are facing issues.”

Extending the deadline gives buyers greater assurance of being able to submit an application, it added.

HDB on Wednesday acknowledged that some applicants were unable to apply for a flat, even though they had completed their preliminary assessment for the HDB Flat Eligibility (HFE) letter.

Some applicants had also complained about the two-hour wait to enter the HDB Flat Portal at the launch on Tuesday. Applicants enter the virtual waiting room before they can access the portal, which shows details of the flats on offer in May.

HDB said in a Facebook post on Wednesday that the long waiting time could have been a result of three factors – higher application volume due to the combined Build-To-Order (BTO) flats and Sale of Balance Flats (SBF) launch, popular mature estate projects such as those in Bedok and Serangoon, and applicants who enter the flat portal to browse the flats on offer.

The May sales exercise is also the first time applicants are required to complete a preliminary assessment for the HFE letter before applying for a flat, contributing to the long waiting time, HDB said.

The waiting time to enter the flat portal has improved, and the virtual waiting room had not been triggered for the whole of Thursday, HDB said that evening.

HDB introduced the virtual waiting room feature in the November 2022 sales exercise to better manage online traffic in instances where there are many applicants accessing the system at once.

An applicant, who wanted to be known only as Aydah, 29, said she was helping her 54-year-old father apply for an SBF flat on Tuesday, but could not submit the application even though he had completed the preliminary HFE check on Monday.

“Thankfully the system has improved, and he managed to submit his application on Thursday after multiple tries,” she said.

Applicants facing technical issues can fill in a form at www.hdb.gov.sg/efeedback

HDB’s inquiry line and counters will not be open on Friday due to the Vesak Day public holiday.