How to apply for your BTO application online

HDB BTO Application Timeline

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1/11

Now that you have decided to throw in a ballot to apply for a HDB BTO, you must be wondering how long will it take and what are the steps?

Here is HDB’s BTO application timeline at a glance:

Check your eligibility
Apply for BTO online: BTO launches every February, May, August, November (1 month)
If you received a queue number, go to HDB Hub to book a flat (1 – 3 months)
After you booked a flat, return to HDB Hub to sign lease agreement, pay down payment (6 months)
When actual building is completed, go to HDB Hub to pay remaining down payment, collect keys (4 to 6 years)

The waiting time between each step of the BTO application is pretty long.

You will also need to take several days off work to visit HDB Hub in Toa Payoh to get your paperwork done. If your company and boss is strict about taking leave, you will need to consider this too.

HDB BTO Eligibility

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2/11

Not everyone can apply for a BTO. You’ll have to be:

Age: 21 years old and above
Applicant 1: Singapore Citizen
Applicant 2: Singapore Citizen or Permanent Resident (PR)
Both applicants are PRs: Both must have been PRs for 3 years
Couple cannot earn more than: $14,000 monthly
Cannot own (or be named) in any other HDB
Cannot own any private property
If owned private property before: Wait 30 months before apply BTO
If owned private property before: Wait 15 months before buy HDB resale

There are 7 groups of people who can apply for a HDB BTO:

Fiance + Fiancee Scheme: Need to produce ROM certificate upon key collection
Orphans + Siblings: Apply together with siblings. Parent must have been Singaporean or PR.
Married Couple + Children
Married Couple + Elderly Parents + Siblings
Widowed or Divorced Individual + Children
Single (Individual): You can apply for 2-room Flexi non-mature HDB BTO as a 35-year-old single. Must be first-timer HDB owner, max. income $7,000 monthly.
Singles (2-3 applicants): You can apply for 2-room Flexi non-mature HDB BTO as 35-year-old singles. All must be first-timer HDB owner, max. income $7,000 monthly.

HDB BTO Price: How much can you afford?

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3/11

Generally, when it comes to buying BTOs, there are two schools of thought:

Safe, Prudent Approach: Some prefer a smaller BTO, or a BTO in a non-mature estate where prices are lower. Pay off quickly, go debt free.
Go Big or Go Home Approach: Some prefer to maximise their shot at buying a subsidised BTO and will book a bigger, super expensive BTO in a popular location. These people prefer to max their loan tenure to 25 years or 30 years. Many assume that their salary will definitely increase over the years and may ambitiously plan for a big loan.

Not sure which approach is better? We’d always recommend the first – be more conservative and prudent when considering future unearned money.

You’ll never know if unforeseeable circumstances – such as illness, retrenchment or even further studies – may affect your ability to pay off your loan.

How to know how much you can afford?

You can use the HDB Home Loan calculator to check how much the HDB BTO price range you can realistically afford.

Together with your partner, sit own over coffee one afternoon, and list out:

Your combined monthly income
Student loans
Car loans (or public transport costs)
Monthly and yearly insurance premiums
Monthly food and drinks
Hobbies and other personal expenses

Be realistic in your expectations of maintaining a particular lifestyle. After doing your math you’ll have a better idea of which area, or how big a flat, to target.

Family’s Needs: Children’s Schools Nearby?

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4/11

Do you need to live near your parents, whether to care for them in their old age or to tap into their babysitting help? What about your kids’ future schools – likely to be your alma mater?

Bought BTO too far from children’s primary school

One family found themselves in such a fix. Then childless, the couple bought their BTO flat in Jurong West.

They decided to enrol their children in their alma mater, a primary school in central Singapore. They relocated a little closer when the eldest child started school, but the younger one still attended a childcare centre near their old home.

Over the next few years, the couple spent a fair bit of time and money commuting daily, until both kids were finally in the same school.

Visit BTO sites before applying

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5/11

HDB holds four BTO launches every year. They are namely:

February
May
August
November

As long as you’re following the news, you won’t miss them. These BTO launches are publicised in the local media and on the HDB’s website.

While you should not rush into booking a unit if the locations are not ideal for you, do explore options with an open mind.

Bukit Batok wasn’t her first choice

Singleton Charlene Sim did not even consider Bukit Batok initially, as she preferred a home in central or eastern Singapore. After several rounds of BTO launches, she decided to visit the Bukit Batok site to get a better feel.

Pleasantly surprised by the neighbourhood’s proximity to malls in Bukit Batok and Jurong East, she booked a two-room unit at Bukit Batok’s West Edge during the February 2015 BTO launch.

Another plus? Affordability.

Her unit is below her budget and only costs $115,000, which she can pay off fully with the funds in her CPF Ordinary Account.

Use HDB Grants, Benefits

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Being a first-timer (or a couple comprising a first-time and second-time applicant) allows you to enjoy a larger proportion of flat supply depending on the flat type and its location, and two ballot chances compared to second-timers.

If two or more of your applications are unsuccessful for BTO launches in non-mature estates, you’ll get an extra chance per subsequent application.

Don’t decline BTO flat booking twice

However, if you have previously cancelled a BTO flat application or declined to book a flat twice, you have to wait out a one-year period before applying again.

HDB Priority Schemes

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Apply for priority schemes if everyone listed in your flat application is eligible; you can get priority for up to two schemes.

These priority schemes are the only way for you to increase your chances at the computer ballot. They are namely:

First-Timer Priority
Parenthood Priority Scheme
Multi-Generation Priority Scheme
Married Child Priority Scheme
Third Child Priority Scheme
Divorced Widowed Parents Assistance Scheme
Tenants’ Priority Scheme
Senior Priority Scheme

Apply for BTO online

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8/11

Once you’ve decided on a suitable BTO launch, submit your application within the one-week application period, with a non-refundable fee of $10 via HDB’s website.

You can also visit HDB Hub or any of HDB’s branches. It takes about 1 to 3 months for HDB to notify you via SMS and email if you’ve successfully received a queue number.

Depending on your queue number, you will be invited to make a trip to HDB Hub in Toa Payoh to select and book your flat within the month.
Documents needed for BTO application
On the day of booking, bring your:

NRIC identity cards
Birth certificates
Passports for non-citizens
12 Months of CPF records
Cash, NETs, Credit Card (to pay option fee of $500 to $2,000)
Parents & their NRIC, marriage or divorce certificates (if necessary)
Doctor’s certification of your pregnancy (if necessary)

Finally, you need to bring the:

HDB Loan Eligibility (HLE) Letter
Bank home loan Letter of Offer (LO)

Whether a HLE or LO, both are letters from HDB or the bank promising that they will lend you money to pay for your house.

Using Singpass, apply for your HDB Loan Eligibility (HLE) letter online, and bring it along to your down payment day. If you’re taking a bank home loan, you’ll need to visit the bank to get a valid Letter of Offer (LO) from the bank and bring it along.

Now, all you have to do is wait – usually about 4 to 6 years for a BTO flat. If you purchased a Sale of Balance (SBF) flat, you could be waiting anywhere from 3 months to 4 years for your key collection too.

HDB Key Collection

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9/11

During your key collection, you need to pay a survey fee, registration fee, and buyer’s stamp duty on the Deed of Assignment; costs vary depending on your flat type and loan amount.

Again, bring along your:

NRIC identity cards
Marriage certificate
CPF statements (12 months)
Home Fire Insurance (buy from HDB Etiqa, HDB Hub Atrium)
Home Protection Scheme (if you paying by CPF monthly)
GIRO form (if you paying by cash monthly)

HDB Defects Check

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Your new HDB flat is covered by a warranty within the one-year Defects Liability Period, from the date you collect your keys.

Make sure you report all defects to the Building Service Centre within seven days of receiving your keys, and before you start your own renovation. The warranty will not cover rectification items that surface during or after that.

Give yourself a few months to sort out the defects. Or get your interior designer or professional HDB defect checkers to do the checks for you.

Tan Yi Leng, who collected the keys to her new three-room BTO flat, shared that she found over 20 defects in her new BTO – from severe scratches on her doors to a crooked clothes rack and chips on her walls.

It took three rounds of rectification before most were done satisfactorily.

In contrast, a neighbour, who was in a hurry to get his renovation started, decided to make do with minor rectifications and paid his contractor to do the rest.

HDB Payment Timeline

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11/11

Finally, let’s talk about money. The biggest money hurdle in your HDB application and payment process will be the down payment.
HDB BTO Downpayment
If you’re taking a HDB loan:

Down payment: 20% (pay via cash or CPF)
Interest rate: 2.6%

The down payment will be paid in two parts: 10 per cent when you go to HDB Hub to sign Lease Agreement; another 10 per cent upon key collection.

If you’re taking a bank home loan:

Down payment: 25% per cent (5% must be cash, rest can use CPF)

In addition, you’ll also need to pay the:

Buyer’s Stamp Duty (BSD)
Conveyancing fee
Caveat registration fee
NRIC Identity cards
Receipt of your booking fee
Bank passbook or statement (with proof of residential address and bank account number)
Latest pay slips and CPF statements (12 months)

Finally, be on top of your monthly HDB loan or bank home loan payments. You don’t want to be late or miss any payments because you’ll get charged late fees.

This article was originally published in Home & Decor.