by NCMP Gerald Giam
Mr Chairman,
Many families with housing difficulties are ineligible for HDB rental flats because they may not meet all the requirements under the Public Rental Flat scheme. Yet many are unable to buy a BTO flat because they cannot afford the resale levy on the sale of their previous flat, as Ms Sylvia Lim has just mentioned, and renting a room from the open market is prohibitively expensive for them.
On November 21st last year, the Minister told the House that MND may be looking into a higher rental tier to help these families. With a higher rental tier, tenants will pay rents that are higher than current HDB rental rates, but lower than the open market rate. This will enable these families to afford a roof over their head, but without enjoying the full benefits of the usual HDB rental rate.
May I ask the Minister for an update on this initiative, and if there is any expected timeframe for implementation?