SINGAPORE - The waiting time to enter the Housing Board’s May sales launch webpage has been reduced, HDB said on Wednesday, following some complaints about the two-hour wait at the launch on Tuesday.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, HDB said it had been adjusting system parameters since Tuesday and made enhancements to reduce the waiting time in the virtual waiting room.
The waiting time ranged from three minutes to 20 minutes on Wednesday morning, it added.
Applicants enter the virtual waiting room before they can access the HDB Flat Portal, which shows details of the Build-To-Order (BTO) flats and Sale of Balance Flats (SBF) on offer in May.
HDB rolled out 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.
HDB on Wednesday said the long waiting time could have been a result of three things – higher application volume due to the combined BTO and 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 HDB Flat Eligibility (HFE) letter before applying for a flat, contributing to the long waiting time, HDB said. Applications for the HFE letter opened on May 9.
The HFE replaced the HDB Loan Eligibility (HLE) letter to streamline the flat-buying process. Buyers just need to make a single application to obtain the HFE letter informing them if they are eligible to buy a new or resale flat, how much of the housing grants they can use and the HDB loan amount they qualify for.
Previously, applicants needed only a valid HLE letter to book a BTO flat after a successful ballot.
HDB said: “Most of those who have obtained their preliminary HFE assessment over the past three weeks will be able to apply for a flat in this sales launch.
“However, we understand that there are some who have completed their preliminary HFE check, but are still unable to apply for a flat.”
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 was directed to an error page even though he had completed the preliminary HFE check on Monday.
“He tried again a few times but still couldn’t get to the next step because of the HFE issue,” said the administrative assistant. “What if HDB can get back (to him) only after applications close? Then all our efforts are wasted.”
Applicants facing technical issues are advised to fill in a feedback form at www.hdb.gov.sg/efeedback
“As HFE is being implemented for this sales launch for the first time, we seek the understanding and patience of our buyers as we work through the system issues experienced over the last two days,” HDB said in its post.
Another applicant, who gave his name as Melvin, 37, said he waited about two hours to enter the flat portal on Tuesday, after entering the virtual waiting room at 3.20pm.
“The website was easy to navigate, but the queueing system was not pleasant,” said the technical support officer.
Applications close at 11.59pm on June 5 on the HDB Flat Portal. Flats will be allocated through a ballot.
