Families who are eligible and waiting to receive their BTO units may be eligible for a $300 voucher every month to pay for the rent of a HDB flat or bedroom that is available on the open market.
The project within the Parenthood Provisional Housing Scheme (PPHS) that provides temporary rental homes for families with an unfinished apartment that is not part of the Housing Board’s sales exercises is scheduled to run between July 2024 and June 2025.
To be eligible for the entire year of support, amounting to $3,600, applicants’ tenancies must begin on or before the 31st of July, 2024 and applicants must submit their applications to HDB by August 31st.
This allows households qualified to apply for a PPHS voucher enough time to find a suitable tenancy, and then submit an application.
The initiative provides these families with greater support as HDB is working to increase the inventory of rental apartments for interim rentals in the scheme from 2,000 units now to 4,000 by 2025.
In order to be eligible for the rental voucher program the families must have an income per month of $7,000 or lower. They must verify that the landlord has registered their lease with HDB and also that their NRIC addresses have been updated.
To qualify for the voucher, applicants who are fiancees or fiancees must provide their marriage certificates within the first 3 months of the tenancy.
Families who qualify will receive the voucher through reimbursement for tenancies that fall between June 2024 and July 2025. If applicants start their lease on the 30th of June, 2025, they will still be qualified for a voucher of $300 for that month.
Each tranche will contain at least six months’ worth of vouchers. HDB said that the first tranche typically takes about seven months after the application date.
Vouchers cannot be adjusted for times which do not count as one full month. Families must complete their voucher application before the close of the month to be eligible to receive the voucher.
HDB has said that those who lease the PPHS flat from HDB could also decide to lease a market-rate apartment and then apply for the voucher. But they will qualify for the voucher only after they have completed the lease for the PPHS flat.
Families won’t be eligible for the voucher when they lease a unit from their immediate family or close relatives.
HDB had said in March that it would carry out various checks on the tenant’s tenure, which could include physical checks at the address of the tenant, prior to making the voucher available. The HDB may forward cases to the police for further investigations and defer vouchers if it is suspected of misuse.
The board said then that the number of applications for PPHS has decreased significantly since it increased the supply of temporary housing from 800 units by 2021 to 2,000.
In 2021 over 20 applicants competed for every flat that was available, and in February 2024 it was 2.3 applicants.
On June 13th, HDB said it has been working on reducing the waiting time for BTO flats. It added that in 2024, waiting times for 75 percent of the new flats that are scheduled to open will be reduced to four years or less.
If you don’t have an PPHS apartment by the end of 2024, then it’s worthwhile applying to be eligible for a voucher.
A PPHS flat is my first choice as it is affordably priced for a unit. On the open market, I’d be able rent just one bedroom and compromise privacy.
Rental prices for two-room flats range from $400 to $550 per month in PPHS Three-room apartment prices range from $600-$900.
The couple lives in Bedok while they wait for the construction of their four-room apartment in 2028.
If the open market is too expensive and we decide not to apply for the voucher, I would like to think we will be able to secure an PPHS flat when the supply will double in 2025. We’d prefer not to live on our own while waiting for a apartment.