HDB Flats
About 80% of Singaporeans live in Housing Development Board (HDB) flats built by the government.
It is a rather different concept from the government housing in other countries.
For most, you own the title deed to the property so it is your asset. HDB flats can be bought and sold in the open market. In recent years, many have transacted at more than a million dollars.
What Type of HDB Flat Can a Singapore Citizen with Foreign Spouse Purchase?
If Foreign Spouse has Permanent Resident (PR) Status:
If Foreign Spouse does not have Permanent Resident (PR) Status:
*If you have a child who is a Singapore Citizen or a PR, you will then not be restricted to any flat type.
Please note that the foreign spouse can only be an essential occupier and not a co-owner of the HDB flat.
This will have two implications:
i) The income of the foreign spouse cannot be taken into account when applying for a housing loan, which means a smaller loan quantum.
ii) The foreign spouse will not have the same legal rights to the property, even if they contribute to the loan repayments.
<Important> HDB FLAT ELIGIBILITY (HFE) LETTER
HDB requires all potential buyers of a HDB flat, be it BTO or resale, to have a valid HFE Letter. The HFE letter is to be applied via the HDB website.
Please have various documents ready eg. the softcopy of your payslips.
The HFE has a validity of 9 months, so it is advisable to apply it sooner than later as it will take about a month for HDB to have it ready.