Priority for singles, higher quota for second-timer families to kick in from HDB’s July BTO exercise

SINGAPORE – A slew of policy changes will kick in, starting with the upcoming HDB Build-To-Order (BTO) flat sales exercise in July, benefiting singles as well as families looking to upgrade or right-size their homes.

Laying out the changes in a statement on July 20, the Housing Board said the one benefiting singles involves a

previously announced new Family Care Scheme

, meant to provide singles with priority access to BTO flats when they buy one near or with their parents.

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong had announced the scheme

in his first National Day Rally speech in 2024

as a means to bolster intergenerational support among families.

Without the update, priority access would remain reserved only for married couples and their parents.

HDB said on July 20 that first-time single buyers currently have up to 65 per cent of two-room flexi BTO flats and up to 5 per cent of Sale of Balance Flat (SBF) units set aside for them after such units are allocated to seniors.

Within these quotas, up to 30 per cent of two-room flexi BTO flats and up to 2 per cent of balance flats will be set aside for first-timer singles applying under the new scheme.

The remaining quotas will be for other first-timer singles, HDB said.

HDB, meanwhile, specified there will be no change to the existing priority access for married couples and seniors.

The new scheme has a second component that grants singles priority if they jointly apply for two units in the same BTO project with their parents. But this would kick in only from the October sales exercise, HDB said.

The change pertaining to families is for those applying for a BTO unit for the second time. HDB said it will increase the allocation quota of three-room and larger flats for this group by 5 percentage points from

the July exercise

.

This is to support these families’ “upgrading aspirations and right-sizing plans”, it stated.

With the change, up to 20 per cent of three-room Standard flats and up to 10 per cent of three-room Plus and Prime flats and four-room and larger flats would be set aside for second-timer families.

First-timer families would, however, still have at least 80 per cent to 90 per cent of three-room and larger flats set aside for them, HDB noted.

The July exercise would also see enhancements to

the Deferred Income Assessment (DIA) scheme

and the Fresh Start Housing Grant take effect, HDB said.

The DIA scheme lets couples defer their income assessment until nearer the key collection date, so they can qualify for a bigger loan as their incomes are likely to be more stable and higher by then, without deferring their flat application.

Under the enhanced DIA scheme, only one of the two parties needs to be a recent or current full-time student or national serviceman before a couple can apply for a new flat with its help.

Previously, both parties needed to meet this requirement.

The

increase in the Fresh Start Housing Grant

from $50,000 to $75,000 for second-timer public rental households with children was announced at the debate on the Ministry of National Development’s budget earlier in 2025.

HDB said this change, also to start from the July exercise, will help eligible second-timer families use the increased grant to buy a new two-room flexi or three-room standard BTO or balance flat on a shorter lease.

About 5,500 BTO flats in Bukit Merah, Bukit Panjang, Clementi, Sembawang, Tampines, Toa Payoh and Woodlands will be launched in the July exercise, HDB said. Some 5,030 flats were launched in the

last BTO exercise on Feb 10

.

More than 4,600 balance flats will also be up for picks in the concurrent SBF exercise to take place in July, it added.

“We will continue to refine our public housing policies to keep public housing affordable, accessible and inclusive for Singaporeans,” HDB said.