The HDB 99-lease time bomb

[Vlad Tepes]

SG women and foreigners have the best of both worlds: equal rights, but not equal responsibilities.

Women always prioritised security over responsibilities. That's they're also largely contributed to the PAP in power. And able to have a tardy feminist org like AWARE to exist.

 

[True Believer]

Women always prioritised security over responsibilities. That's they're also largely contributed to the PAP in power. And able to have a tardy feminist org like AWARE to exist.

The Aware sexuality education training manual stated that: “Homosexuality is perfectly normal. Just like heterosexuality, it is simply the way you are. Homosexuals also form meaningful relationships, and face the same emotional issues that heterosexuals do.” It was this statement that raised the ire of the new leaders of Aware – president Josie Lau, honorary treasurer Maureen Ong, honorary secretary Jenica Chua and committee member Lois Ng. At their press conference in April 2009, Ms Ong, a mother of 3, said it was the sexuality education programme that made her worry about what Aware was teaching children. “I’m concerned. I’m a parent. It’s shocking,” she said. It spurred her to join Aware, and be part of its takeover in March 2009. Kudos to her and the others who took positive action.

 

[Sinkiesuk]

Sinkie will become like hk housing need to stay at one room roof top.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Forum: Singapore’s public housing market needs a reality check​

UPDATED May 07, 2025, 05:00 AM


Four years ago, I wrote about public housing affordability as a first-time buyer (A battle between prudence and emotion in buying HDB home, Dec 28, 2021).

Now, at the precipice of my flat’s Minimum Occupation Period (MOP), I am bewildered. A property portal estimates I could make $200,000 in capital gains. Even older flats have appreciated beyond inflation, despite imminent lease decay. A deluge of fliers from property agents urging home owners to upgrade may explain why.

The Government’s efforts to boost housing supply and temper prices are commendable. But beyond supply and demand, exuberant price expectations fuelled by property agents are distorting the market.

In the 1980s, my in-laws purchased a flat in Tampines for $100,000. Over time, they upgraded to private property, with most of their home ownership journey funded by capital appreciation. Today, they live mortgage-free in a condominium in East Coast _ a testament to the outsize capital gains once possible in the housing market.

But Singapore has already transited to a First World nation, and we are unlikely to see an encore performance of the economic conditions that allowed for such windfalls. Yet, property agents continue to pander to our intrinsic desire to profit from public housing.

This is partly systemic. Property agents benefit from higher prices and more transactions. Their incentives are misaligned with sustainable home ownership, yet guard rails remain weak.

Agents now go door-to-door in Build-To-Order (BTO) estates reaching MOP, pitching dreams of windfall profit. They feed the belief that housing prices can only go up, dismissive of ageing demographics, falling birth rates and economic uncertainty. They argue that limited land supply and the Government’s cooling measures guarantee resilience. They peddle a narrative that property is a haven, a wealth generator and a status symbol.


This culture worries me. I have seen peers overextend themselves chasing property dreams. One pooled family savings just to show proof of funds for a larger loan. His mortgage now consumes 60 per cent of household income. Irrational exuberance has trumped financial prudence.

We should stop sensationalising million-dollar HDB transactions and crack down on irresponsible advertising by agents who promise cash-over-valuation deals or encourage buyers to over-leverage. Such measures, alongside the new HDB Resale Flat Listing service, can promote greater transparency, lower middleman costs, and empower Singaporeans to make financially sound housing decisions.

While we cannot undo the commodification of public housing, we can curtail those who stoke unsustainable expectations. We should not wait for the next boom-bust cycle for housing prices to normalise. A soft landing requires decisive action now – before optimism turns into a crisis.

Elgenia Wong Tien Min

Forum: Singapore’s public housing market needs a reality check​

UPDATED May 07, 2025, 05:00 AM
Four years ago, I wrote about public housing affordability as a first-time buyer (A battle between prudence and emotion in buying HDB home, Dec 28, 2021).
Now, at the precipice of my flat’s Minimum Occupation Period (MOP), I am bewildered. A property portal estimates I could make $200,000 in capital gains. Even older flats have appreciated beyond inflation, despite imminent lease decay. A deluge of fliers from property agents urging home owners to upgrade may explain why.
The Government’s efforts to boost housing supply and temper prices are commendable. But beyond supply and demand, exuberant price expectations fuelled by property agents are distorting the market.
In the 1980s, my in-laws purchased a flat in Tampines for $100,000. Over time, they upgraded to private property, with most of their home ownership journey funded by capital appreciation. Today, they live mortgage-free in a condominium in East Coast _ a testament to the outsize capital gains once possible in the housing market.
But Singapore has already transited to a First World nation, and we are unlikely to see an encore performance of the economic conditions that allowed for such windfalls. Yet, property agents continue to pander to our intrinsic desire to profit from public housing.
This is partly systemic. Property agents benefit from higher prices and more transactions. Their incentives are misaligned with sustainable home ownership, yet guard rails remain weak.
Agents now go door-to-door in Build-To-Order (BTO) estates reaching MOP, pitching dreams of windfall profit. They feed the belief that housing prices can only go up, dismissive of ageing demographics, falling birth rates and economic uncertainty. They argue that limited land supply and the Government’s cooling measures guarantee resilience. They peddle a narrative that property is a haven, a wealth generator and a status symbol.
This culture worries me. I have seen peers overextend themselves chasing property dreams. One pooled family savings just to show proof of funds for a larger loan. His mortgage now consumes 60 per cent of household income. Irrational exuberance has trumped financial prudence.
We should stop sensationalising million-dollar HDB transactions and crack down on irresponsible advertising by agents who promise cash-over-valuation deals or encourage buyers to over-leverage. Such measures, alongside the new HDB Resale Flat Listing service, can promote greater transparency, lower middleman costs, and empower Singaporeans to make financially sound housing decisions.
While we cannot undo the commodification of public housing, we can curtail those who stoke unsustainable expectations. We should not wait for the next boom-bust cycle for housing prices to normalise. A soft landing requires decisive action now – before optimism turns into a crisis.
Elgenia Wong Tien Min

 

[k1976]

The Aware sexuality education training manual stated that: “Homosexuality is perfectly normal. Just like heterosexuality, it is simply the way you are. Homosexuals also form meaningful relationships, and face the same emotional issues that heterosexuals do.” It was this statement that raised the ire of the new leaders of Aware – president Josie Lau, honorary treasurer Maureen Ong, honorary secretary Jenica Chua and committee member Lois Ng. At their press conference in April 2009, Ms Ong, a mother of 3, said it was the sexuality education programme that made her worry about what Aware was teaching children. “I’m concerned. I’m a parent. It’s shocking,” she said. It spurred her to join Aware, and be part of its takeover in March 2009. Kudos to her and the others who took positive action.

Homosexuals is a growth and existential threat

 

[myfoot123]

Now you hear 2-room BTO reselling at $400K and 3-room HDB across the board reaching $600K or above. The higher the happier for PAPPY voters, especially boomers.

 

[Eisenhut]

Like stock lor...its a musical chair...last person get the bomb!!!

 

[True Believer]

Homosexuals is a growth and existential threat

The growing gay-rights movement in S'pore seeks to normalise the homosexual lifestyle here. First, they refer to their annual event as Pink Dot, which is a play on the nickname of our country - the Little Red Dot; it appears that their intention mirrors that of the militant gay movement in the U.S., which seeks to raise a generation of homosexuals. Second, they infiltrate the Comprehensive Sex Education programme in our schools by making insidious calls to our children to regard homosexual practices as normal. Third, they lobby for the right to publicise the gay lifestyle and impose it on others in the name of diversity and tolerance in our society.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Leasehold properties have a definite shelf life; owners should not expect ‘more goodies’: Ho Ching​

Neglect of such older estates could result in ‘urban slums’, adds Temasek Trust chairman

Ry-Anne Lim​

Fri, Sep 5, 2025

[SINGAPORE] Leasehold properties, whether public housing flats or industrial units, have a definitive shelf life, and putting pressure on the government for “more goodies” is “not the right thing to do”, said Temasek Trust chairman Ho Ching.

In a Facebook post on Thursday morning (Sep 4), Ho highlighted that owners of leasehold properties benefit from potential capital gains as property values rise, and the economy and income grow.

In the early years, such properties can act as inflation-linked assets, but closer to expiry, their value is tied mainly to rental income over the remaining years, discounted to present value, she noted.


“This means taking a view on how the remaining 10 years will look like, knowing that the leasehold will run out at the end of the 10 years’ balance,” said Ho, who is also the wife of Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

“Folks who buy 30 or 40 year balance leasehold properties clearly know that. But, of course, such owners will hope to pressure the government to give them more goodies, right? Human nature, but not the right thing to do for the longer term good of the overall population across generations.”

With the first public housing flats built by the Housing & Development Board (HDB) in the 1960s approaching the end of their 99-year leases, there is a pressing need to renew and rebuild ageing estates.

National Development Minister Chee Hong Tat has said that the government is working out a new framework for a Voluntary Early Redevelopment Scheme (Vers) to be rolled out in the late 2030s, to replace the earlier Selective En bloc Redevelopment Scheme (Sers) which has been shelved.

Under Vers, owners of HDB flats aged 70 years and older will vote on whether the government should buy back their homes before their leases run out.

Chee pointed out that the compensation terms for Vers will be less generous than that of Sers, given flats’ older age.

In her post, Ho said that the original owners of most 99-year leasehold properties would have passed on by the time its lease expires – and when Vers comes along.

The government should perhaps “give weight” to the original owners of HDB flats who are still alive, since moving homes is “one of the handful of traumas that can trigger serious health issues”.

“But for all the other owners, it is willing-buyer (and) willing-seller who really have no right to ask for special goodies,” explained Ho. “If there are any special goodies, it would be for that unmarried child who had stayed with their parents, looked after their parents till their deaths, and inherited their parents’ flat.”

In a subsequent post on Thursday evening, Ho added that owners of flats with only 10 to 15 years left on their leases often have little incentive to maintain them. Left unchecked, this may result in “urban slums”, a problem already evident in other cities around the world, she noted.

Singapore’s town councils and condominium management committees slow this process, but a reluctance to increase maintenance fees has left sinking funds inadequate for major repairs, said Ho. This results in lifts breaking down and common areas being less well-maintained, even for developments under 30 years old.

“So what happens for even older estates with shorter leaseholds left?” she asked. “As the flats get older, are they more likely to become slums from neglect?”

Ho said: “We will need to think HDB not just at point of sale as a new (Build-to-Order) project for first-timer owners. We need to think life cycle both for the original buyers and their families, and the life cycle for the property, so that we can thread the needle well.”

She added: “Meanwhile, let’s not give false hope that the (99-year leasehold) can somehow be shifted.”

 

[True Believer]

The HDB is the landlord of the flat sold to the buyer, so it has the right to set rules and regulations to maintain the public housing units. This is why there are rules on who the buyer may sell to, the minimum occupation period and restrictions on renting out the entire flat. Owners of private condos and houses have no such restrictions.

 

[syed putra]

Forum: Don’t allow 99-year HDB lease issue to remain unresolved​

Jul 22, 2024

I agree with sociologist Chua Beng Huat that the Government has an increasingly intricate and difficult task of balancing the perception of HDB flats as both public good and financial asset (Future of HDB flats: A delicate balancing act, says sociologist Chua Beng Huat, July 13).
This is especially when many Singaporeans’ savings have gone into their home purchase.
A third of home owners have capitalised on profiting through a buy-sell-repurchase cycle. I believe the two-thirds who have not acted on this strategy intend to bequeath their home to their family members.
Political leaders and Singaporeans must recognise and accept the fundamental principle of the 99-year lease for most HDB flats. The HDB will not be able to conduct the Selective En bloc Redevelopment Scheme for every maturing flat in Singapore. It is both financially inconceivable and irresponsible.
National Development Minister Desmond Lee has reiterated in Parliament that HDB flats of 99-year leasehold strike a good balance between providing a home for life, asset appreciation, rejuvenating our city and building homes for the new generation.
Though the government of the day has reaped political returns, legitimacy and gratitude from past Singaporeans who have gained much from owning an HDB flat, we should not allow the 99-year lease issue to remain unresolved.

Foo Sing Kheng

No way will PAP change the arrangement.
The best, maybe for extra amount to be decided, the lease can be extended depending on condition of the flats. Maybe by 30-50 years.

 

[True Believer]

No way will PAP change the arrangement. The best, maybe for extra amount to be decided, the lease can be extended depending on condition of the flats. Maybe by 30-50 years.

To resolve this issue, we need a more robust long-term care plan like a retirement savings scheme that is not so reliant on the value of a single asset like our home (especially one that actually belongs to the HDB and not the buyer). The govt needs to be honest about what home for life truly means in S'pore where citizens do not appear to own anything we pay an arm and a leg for.

 

[Hypocrite-The]

What happens if the building don't last 99 years? If it it's rendered inhabitable in 80 years...than pap will just let the leaseholders go on the street?

 

[Pinkieslut]

Coolie genes better fark off.

 

[PatriotMissile2025]

What's so difficult about this? Just pay the land cost when time's up and extend for another 30 years if the structure is sturdy. Cannot live 130 years just let your son or son's son consume and worry about it.
No free riding after the lease is over. Every generation must strive and work their dues.

 

[k1976]

Blood moon rises during total lunar eclipse, but Singapore stargazers’ view hampered by clouds​

Calista Wong,Vihanya Rakshika
Mon, 8 September 2025 at 7:00 AM SGT
3 min read

The lunar eclipse began at 11.28pm on Sept 7 in Singapore, reaching its maximum at 2.11am on Sept 8. It ended at 4.55am.
SINGAPORE – The blood moon played hide-and-seek with stargazers in Singapore but made a splashy appearance across parts of Asia, Africa and Europe on Sept 7.

On Facebook, several members of enthusiast group CloudSpotting & SkySpotting Singapore posted images of what they had caught on their cameras, often lamenting about the clouds that obstructed their view.

Some caught partial glimpses from neighbourhood areas, while others took to rooftops and prime stargazing spots like Marina Barrage to secure their shots. In a Facebook post in the wee hours of Sept 8, members of the Astronomical Society of Singapore said they were at Passion Wave in the Marina Bay area but “unfortunately, the moon was never out of the clouds”.

 

[True Believer]

What happens if the building don't last 99 years? If it it's rendered inhabitable in 80 years...than pap will just let the leaseholders go on the street?

Schemes like the SERS and the VERS are for urban renewal and not structural failure. Hopefully, the govt handles the redevelopment and rehousing of residents in a nearby location in the same way, if the building is no longer safe.

 

[Hypocrite-The]

Schemes like the SERS and the VERS are for urban renewal and not structural failure. Hopefully, the govt handles the redevelopment and rehousing of residents in a nearby location in the same way, if the building is no longer safe.

Vers has been announced 10 years ago n the details still not out....so is the pap hiding something?

 

[k1976]

Now even 50-60yrs old also died suddenly alone in HDBee Pigeon holes

 

[laksaboy]

I believe that except for a few isolated cases, the older flats will last longer than the newer ones built since the 2010s. Those with an alphabet suffix to the same block number e.g. Blk 810A, 810B, 810C, 810D.