The latest buzz in the HDB market is the launch of the Prime Location Public Housing (PLH), with the pilot project located along Kelantan Road and Weld Road, in the Rochor area.
This is the first model to be implemented for public housing projects in prime and central locations, such as the city centre and surrounding areas, including the Greater Southern Waterfront.
Located next to the Jalan Besar MRT station, the Rochor project has a total of 680 4-room units and 280 3-room units. According to the HDB, there will also be âsome rental flatsâ. This new housing model seems to be in high demand, judging from the number of applications received.
Just a day after the launch, there were 2,105 applications for the 680 four-room units. The final number of applicants received after the closing date was 6976 for the 4-room units and 867 for the 3-room units. This translates to about 10 applicants for each 4-room flat and 3 applicants for the 3-room units.
In todayâs article, we will examine the eligibility rules for the PLH model.
Eligibility
The eligibility conditions for PLH is largely the same as any BTO flats with some exceptions.
If you are successful in your PLH application, the first major difference is the Minimum Occupation period (MOP). Instead of the normal 5 year period, PHL flat owners will have to fulfil a 10-year MOP before they are allowed to sell in the open market, or invest in a private residential property.
They are also not allowed to rent out the whole flat but may rent out spare bedrooms.
Besides the extended MOP, another change is that singles above 35 are not eligible to apply as applicants must have a family nucleus (see table below).
Ownership conditions for BTO model versus PLH model:
Additionally, if owners were to sell their units after the MOP, they will have to return 6% of the resale price or valuation, whichever is higher, upon selling their property.
This is implemented to try and curb the lottery effect of HDB flats in prime locations where flat owners buy the flats directly from HDB at subsidised prices and yet, reaped massive profits upon selling after the MOP.
But will the 6% clawback deter would-be buyers? Industry experts seem to think not.
Take the following scenario, for example, if the 4-room unit in the Rochor project is sold at S$1 million, which is not too far-fetched considering that there were 192 HDB resale flats that were sold for at least a million as of 31 October this year, the clawback would be about $60,000.
If the selling price of the new flat indicated on the HDB website is approximately $537,000 after grants, the owner will still net a profit of at least $400,000, after the 6% clawback.
Prices of Rocher PLH flats:
Flat Type | Selling Price Excluding Grants | Selling Price Including Grants |
3-room | âFrom $409,000 | From $349,000 |
4-room | From $582,000 | From $537,000 |
Married Child Priority Scheme
One of the major differences between BTO and PLH flats is the married child priority scheme.
Currently, this scheme sets aside up to 30% of BTO units for applicants who wish to live with or near their parents.
For the PLH flats, the quota will be reduced to 20%. Quotas for future PLH will be reviewed and adjusted depending on the locations of sites launched.
According to the HDB, this is to âprovide more opportunities to Singaporeans whose family members do not live near the area to also live in these neighbourhoodsâ.
With the overwhelming response to the Rocher pilot project, many of us are looking forward to the next PLH (Mount Pleasant seems likely to be the next one), but it seems that not everyone will be able to own one, especially singles.
However, the government has indicated that they will âcontinue to review the parameters over time and make adjustments where necessary to ensure they remain relevant to the needs of Singaporeansâ.
Are you looking for a new home or the latest resale listings? Head to MOGUL.sg to browse your preference of properties for sale in Singapore.
ăłăĄăłă