HDB investigating BTO flats listed for sale after being left 'vacant' during minimum occupation period - The Straits Times

SINGAPORE - The Housing Board is investigating cases of Build-To-Order flats listed for sale on property portals after they were allegedly left vacant during the five-year minimum occupation period (MOP).

Between 2017 and November 2022, 53 errant flat owners who did not live in their HDB flats during the MOP were taken to task, the HDB said on Thursday in response to media queries.

Of these, 21 owners had their flats compulsorily acquired by the HDB, while the rest were issued with fines or warnings, it said.

The HDB’s statement comes a day after The Straits Times reported that at least three unrenovated BTO flats that appear to have never been lived in before were up for sale on property listing portals. Agents described the units as a “blank canvas” and “never stayed in before, brand new”.

The HDB said it is aware of “vacant” BTO flats being sold on the open market.

These include “the cases mentioned in recent media reports, some of which have already been under investigation at the time of media’s reporting”, said the HDB, without identifying the cases.

The board said it takes the violation of MOP rules seriously and will not hesitate to take enforcement action. It added that the longstanding policy is meant to reinforce public housing as a home for the owners to live in.

Flat owners are not allowed to sell or rent out the whole flat or invest in a private residential property during the MOP, which starts from the day of key collection. The restriction applies to both flats bought directly from the HDB and the resale market.

National Development Minister Desmond Lee, in a Facebook post on Monday, said owners cannot buy a BTO flat, not move into it for five years and sell it as “almost brand new” on the resale market.

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