In December last year, the Housing & Development Board (HDB) confirmed they were investigating 53 cases of vacant listings for breaching the Minimum Occupation Period (MOP) rules.
Of the 53 cases, the board acquired 21 units, penalising the rest with financial penalties or warnings.
HDB has now revealed that the 21 acquired flats consisted of six Build-To-Order (BTO) and 15 resale flats.
Responding to queries from The Straits Times (ST) on 10 Feb, HDB gave a breakdown of the 53 flats under investigation — 25 were flats buyers purchased from the board while the remaining 28 were from the open market.
As for the 21 flats compulsorily acquired, HDB said they comprised six BTO and 15 resale units, the board added.
The board stressed that owners must physically occupy these flats during MOP as they are meant for owner occupation.
“During the MOP, flat owners are not allowed to sell or rent out the whole flat or invest in a private residential property,” HDB said.
The MOP restriction applies to both HDB flats bought directly from HDB and from the resale market.
HDB told ST that buyers should have to acknowledge rules and regulations, especially ones under MOP, during the purchasing process.
“Flat owners would therefore know that they are not allowed to leave their flat vacant, or rent out the whole flat without staying in it, during the MOP,” they said.
Source: HDB for illustration purposes only
However, owners unable to live in their flats during the MOP due to circumstances can write to the board requesting a waiver.
HDB will then assess appeals on a case-by-case basis.
The circumstances can include divorce or separation, death of the owner, medical reasons, or the owner being overseas for work.
The board also mentioned taking breaches of MOP rules seriously and taking enforcement action against those responsible.
Penalties will vary, depending on the severity of the violation. They include a written warning, a fine of up to S$50,000, or compulsory acquisition of the flat by HDB.
The board added that 258 BTO flats and 168 resale units were returned to them between January 2017 and December 2022 due to changes in owners’ circumstances.
For instance, some cited divorce or separation, while others attributed the changes to the owner’s death and medical reasons.
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Featured image adapted from Shermin Ng on Unsplash.
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