Since their introduction in 2001, HDB’s Build-To-Order (BTO) flats have been the primary source of public housing. From 2012 to 2021, the waiting time for such flats was about three to four years. In 2017, then-Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong announced that about 1,000 BTO flats launched in 2018 would come with shorter waiting times of about 2.5 years.
Initially designed to ensure that HDB would only build according to real demand, projects under the BTO system would only start construction if demand exceeded 70%. This number was later reduced to 50% in 2011. With the introduction of the shorter waiting time (SWT) flats, construction for several BTO launches each year would now start a year before launch, ensuring that they would be ready in less than three years.
The COVID-19 pandemic caused supply chain disruptions and delays in the construction sector. Earlier this year, then-Minister for National Development Desmond Lee revealed that there would have been more SWT flats over the last few years, if not for the pandemic. However, with the last of the pandemic-delayed projects completed this year, Mr. Lee said shorter waiting time flats will become “quite a major feature of our BTO flat supply” in the years to come.
HDB officially defines SWT flats as flats with wait times of less than three years. In 2023, they committed to an annual supply of 2,000 to 3,000 SWT flats, offering 732 flats that year, followed by 2,876 flats in 2024. This year, this number rose to 4,690, with 3,294 BTO flats with wait times of less than three years expected in the upcoming sales exercise this month.
In a press release, HDB announced there would be 4,000 SWT flats per year over the next two years.
Who Should Apply For SWT Flats
The SWT flats in the October exercise comprise a range of flat types, from 2-room Flexi units to 3Gen flats for large extended families and Community Care Apartments for seniors. This diversity in the supply is welcome, as it is an acknowledgement that many applicants will have their reasons for wanting to get their HDB BTO flats as early as possible.
#1 Families With Young Children and Young Married Couples Starting A Family
Ideally, young children should grow up with as little disruption to their living circumstances as possible. This is why families with at least one Singapore Citizen child aged 18 and below, including married couples who are expecting a child, get an extra ballot chance when booking a BTO flat under the First-Timer (Parents & Married Couples) category.
Applicants in this category also get first priority for 4-room or smaller flats in Standard projects (which all the SWT flats fall under). That means you’re more likely to successfully ballot for the up to 40% of BTO flats set aside for you.
Read Also: Complete Guide To Priority Schemes For HDB BTO Flats
#2 Those Living Near Their Parents
The SWT flats in the October launch will be offered across four projects in Bedok, Sengkang, and Yishun. This allows many applicants to apply for a flat to live with or near their parents. Since July this year, such applicants will get priority access under the Family Care Scheme (Proximity).
First-timer families who apply to live with or near their parents are allocated up to 30% of the public supply of BTO flats. First-timer singles aged 35 and above under FCS (Proximity) will be allocated up to 30% of 2-room Flexi flats in a BTO launch.
“Near”, in this case, refers to a 4-kilometre distance, which is especially valuable for the two upcoming launches in Yishun and in Bedok.
#3 Young Couples Planning To Get Married
It is the Singaporean ideal for young couples getting married to settle down and start a family as soon as possible. For some couples, applying for a shorter waiting time (SWT) flat will be the way to go. If necessary, you can even rent a flat from HDB at a subsidised rate, under the Parenthood Provisional Housing Scheme (PPHS), while waiting for your flat to be completed. Despite the name of the scheme, you don’t need to be a parent to qualify.
However, the beauty of the BTO scheme, with a typical waiting time of three to four years, is that it gives young couples more time to build up their finances before committing to a flat and to each other.
This means that you can book a non-SWT flat while your income is still relatively low and enjoy more CPF housing grants based on your lower income. You then spend the next three to four years focusing on your career, so that when you get married just before collecting your keys, you will have amassed sufficient CPF savings to comfortably start paying off your HDB flat.
