Can I Buy an HDB Flat if I’m Single?

Over the years you’ve seen so many of your married friends collect the keys to their Build-to-Order (BTO) or resale flats, and probably went to all of their housewarming parties.

Latest census data already shows 2021 as a year where fewer babies are born and more people deciding to remain single. The proportion of singles in Singapore increased for all age groups over the past 10 years, by as much as 15% for women in the 25 to 29-year-old segment.

The private housing market might well be above your budget, so Housing Development Board (HDB) flats are the sensible path to owning your own property. Although HDB has consistently reiterated that their priority is to build and sell flats for families, there are schemes that have been introduced to help singles.

Here’s a quick overview of the criteria singles must fulfil to buy an HDB flat:

Key Points:

Citizenship

While Singapore Permanent Residents (SPR) are allowed to buy resale HDB flats as part of a family nucleus, they can’t do the same as a single person(s).

HDB’s rationale behind this is they encourage families to live in public housing as much as possible.

Age Restriction

The age limit when buying a resale or BTO flat is 35 years and above, except for widows and orphans who can buy an HDB flat when they turn 21.

For most singles, the 35 minimum age limit is a push towards living with their parents, renting an HDB flat, or taking the plunge to purchase a small private property. If you’re in the latter group, Ohmyhome’s in-house agents have helped many singles find their ideal property with little hassle.

Unit Type

The other big difference for singles between buying a BTO or resale flat is this: For BTO flats, you are restricted to buying a 2-room flexi unit which may be even smaller than the 3-room flats that families can buy.

The 2-room flexi BTO units are 36-45 sqm in size, really only big enough for a single bedroom plus the living/kitchen area.

Single homeowner who bought a 5-room HDB resale flat. Source: HDB

A single homeowner who bought a 5-room HDB resale flat. Source: HDB

There are no restrictions for unit types in the resale market though, and with some old flats as large as 150 sqm and up, the possibilities are huge. To someone who values spaciousness over cramped quarters, a BTO flat might be out of the question.

Other considerations singles should bear in mind:

The Prime Location Public Housing model (PLH)

The new PLH model introduces a host of new rules for new BTO flats launched in Singapore’s central locations. Starting from Nov 2021, these PLH flats will only be open to purchase by families, even after it enters the resale market. The first project to fall under the PLH model will be the Rochor BTO launch this month.

Per current rulings, singles will not have the opportunity to buy these flats, which has caused quite an uproar from the community. In time, HDB may eventually alter the limitations to single persons, but it is still too early to expect a change.

Sharing a Flat Among Singles

As a single, you can still co-own an HDB flat alongside other individuals (provided everyone fulfils all the above requirements). Under HDB’s Joint Singles’ Scheme, up to 4 singles can purchase a BTO or resale flat. This allows same-sex couples to share ownership of a flat, even if they are not legally married in Singapore.

Source: Unsplash

Source: Unsplash

Note that all co-buyers will need to fulfil the same eligibility criteria:

• Singapore citizen
• 35-years old
• Must fulfill the Ethnic Integration Policy and SPR quota

The good news about the ethnic quota is that members of different ethnic groups can choose to classify their household ethnicity under the ethnic group of any single co-owner. The other co-owners will hence share the same ethnic group classification.

Here’s the non-Malaysian SPR quota that has to be followed for each neighbourhood and block: