HDB takes action against 56 flat owners for illegal sub-letting

HDB takes action against 56 flat owners for illegal sub-letting

By Mustafa Shafawi

SINGAPORE : The Housing and Development Board (HDB) has taken action against 56 flat owners for illegal sub-letting between January 2008 and December last year.

Most were fined between S$1,000 and S$21,000.

One owner had his flat repossessed for blatantly flouting HDB’s sub-letting rules.

Giving details of the case, HDB said it first received feedback on the unauthorised sub-letting of a unit in Block 336 Bukit Batok Street 32 on November 11 last year.

The flat was bought by Poh Boon Kay, who is a registered real estate agent. His wife was listed as an occupier.

He purchased the four-room flat from the open market in June 2007 without any loan.

HDB said the couple are also owners of five private properties. Its investigations found that the flat was sublet without its prior approval to three couples.

Mr Poh and his family did not live in the flat.

He was informed on November 25 to take immediate steps to evict the unauthorised sub-tenants, failing which HDB would take compulsory acquisition action.

However, the subtenants continued to occupy the flat. A notice to compulsorily acquire the flat was then served on December 23.

Mr Poh informed HDB on the same day that the sub-tenants had signed an undertaking to vacate the flat by the end of December.

A day later, the couple appealed. He claimed that the sub-tenant needed time to work out his finances before buying over the flat from Mr Poh.

He had therefore decided to rent out the flat to the sub-tenants in the interim.

On January 5, when the couple was interviewed by HDB, they claimed they did not know that they needed to seek the board’s prior approval before subletting the flat.

They also claimed that they were not aware of the policy for flat owners to fulfil the Minimum Occupation Period (MOP) of three years before they were eligible to sublet the whole flat.

HDB’s further investigations have shown that Mr Poh is also related to two other cases of unauthorised subletting at Bukit Batok and Telok Blangah.

With these further instances of unauthorised subletting related to Mr Poh, his claims that he is “unaware” of HDB rules cannot be substantiated.

HDB said as he has blatantly flouted HDB’s rules, there are no grounds for leniency and legal action has been taken to compulsorily acquire the flat.

HDB will also be taking legal action to compulsorily acquire the other two flats.

HDB would like to emphasise the severity of unauthorised subletting. HDB flats are meant for owner occupation. Flat owners who wish to sublet their whole flat must obtain approval from HDB and fulfil the MOP.

The current MOP for the subletting of flats is as follows:

*Flats bought directly from HDB - 5 years

*Resale flats purchased with CPF Housing Grant - 5 years

*Resale flats purchased without CPF Housing Grant - 3 years

- CNA/ms

Source : ChannelNewsasia - 13 March 2010

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URA to launch sale of residential site

URA to launch sale of residential site

By Mustafa Shafawi

SINGAPORE: Another Reserve List site has been triggered.

The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) said it will launch for sale a residential site at the junction of Upper Changi Road North and Flora Drive in two weeks’ time.

It said a developer has committed to bid no less than S$82 million for the three-hectare site. The minimum price is acceptable to the government.

URA said the land parcel can yield 390 units.

Some analysts said the top bid for the Upper Changi Road North site could range between S$160 million and S$185 million.

That would translate to about S$350 to S$400 per square foot per plot ratio.

A residential site at Sengkang West Avenue has already been sold via the Reserve List in February.

Together these two sites can potentially yield about 855 residential units.

There are another 16 residential sites remaining on the Reserve List of the first half of 2010 Government Land Sales (GLS) Programme that can potentially be triggered for sale.

- CNA/sc/ms

Source : ChannelNewsasia - 13 March 2010

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Luxury condominium at West Coast sells out all 100 units reserved for opening sale

Luxury condominium at West Coast sells out all 100 units reserved for opening sale

By Ryan Huang

SINGAPORE: The luxury seafront condominium The Vision at the West Coast has received good response.

All of the 100 units allocated for its first phase of sale on the opening day of its private preview have been sold.

Prices for the two-bedroom to four-bedroom units range from around S$1,000 to S$1,2000 per square foot.

All the penthouse units have also been snapped up fetching S$3.6 million each.

The 99-year leasehold condominium by Hong Kong developer Cheung Kong offers a rare mix of strata terraces and 281 apartments.

Nearly half of the 14 strata terrace units were sold with the highest going for S$3.2 million.

Cheung Kong said that over 60 per cent of the buyers were home upgraders while the remaining were long-term investors in the property leasing market.

In view of the strong demand, it will be release 20 specially selected units for sale this weekend on a first-come-first-served basis.

These will comprise two-bedroom to four-bedroom units. - CNA/vm

Source : ChannelNewsasia - 13 March 2010

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Over 97% of elderly HDB households satisfied with flats

Over 97% of elderly HDB households satisfied with flats

By OLIVIA HO

MORE than 97 per cent of elderly households in HDB estates are satisfied with their flats, according to a Housing & Development Board survey.

The Sample Household Survey (SHS) is conducted every five years by HDB. And in the latest one, almost 8,000 households were interviewed.

It showed that 98.5 per cent of elderly households were happy with their flats in 2008, up from 97.9 per cent in 2003. An elderly household is a household in which the head is aged 65 years or older.

Ninety-seven per cent of elderly households also indicated overall satisfaction with their neighbourhood. The elderly voted location, transport networks and estate facilities as the top three aspects of HDB living.

The common facilities most popular with elderly households were the support handbars in lifts and corridors, along with bird-singing corners.

The proportion of elderly households participating in community activities increased significantly to 46.9 per cent in 2008, from just 16.8 per cent in 1998. More elderly also interacted socially with their neighbours.

About 81 per cent of the elderly said that their sources of income were sufficient to cover their daily expenses. The remaining 19 per cent complained about the high costs of living and healthcare, as well as insufficient incomes.

Meanwhile, 81.5 per cent of elderly households said they were proud of their homes, with 93 per cent agreeing that their flats are ‘value for money’.

Eighty-five per cent do not intend to move in the next five years.

Source : Business Times - 13 March 2010

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HDB steps up enforcement on illegal subletting

HDB steps up enforcement on illegal subletting

Action taken against 56 owners from January 2008 to December last year

By UMA SHANKARI

THE Housing & Development Board yesterday said it has stepped up enforcement action against home-owners who illegally sub-let their government-subsidised flats. The move comes weeks after HDB unveiled policy changes designed to hurt speculators, including increases to the minimum occupation period (MOP).

STEPPING UP
Minimum occupation period increased to deter speculators
HDB said that from January 2008 to December last year, it took enforcement action against 56 flat owners. They faced penalties that ranged from fines of $1,000 to $21,000, to repossession of their flats.

In particular, HDB shared details of a case in which a Bukit Batok flat owned by Poh Boon Kay and his wife Khoo Kim Cheng was repossessed after there was ‘blatant flouting of sub-letting rules’.

Mr and Mrs Poh own five private properties and Mr Poh is also a registered real estate agent. The couple did not fulfil the MOP of three years, which is required under HDB’s rules before a whole flat can be sub-let. They claimed that they were not aware of this policy. Further investigations showed that Mr Poh was related to two other cases of unauthorised sub-letting, at Bukit Batok and Telok Blangah. HDB will also take legal action to compulsorily acquire those two flats.

It reiterated yesterday that owners who wish to sub- let their whole flat must obtain approval from HDB and fulfil the MOP. The MOP for sub-letting is now five years for flats bought direct from HDB and resale flats bought with any CPF housing grant, and three years for resale flats bought without the CPF housing grant.

Home-owners must also comply with HDB rules regarding the maximum number of sub-tenants allowed for the flat’s size.

Source : Business Times - 13 March 2010

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All units in phase1 of The Vision sold out

All units in phase1 of The Vision sold out

Buyers pay $1,332 psf for two penthouses

By EMILYN YAP

HONG Kong developer Cheung Kong has set record selling prices for residential projects in the West Coast area.

The Vision will have 281 apartments and 14 strata terrace units altogether. In view of strong demand, the developer will release another 20 units of two to four-bedders for sale this weekend
It managed to sell all 100 units released in the first phase of sale for the 99-year-leasehold The Vision yesterday. Of these, two penthouses went for $3.6 million each, which works out to around $1,332 per square foot (psf).

Buyers paid around $1,000-$1,200 psf for two, three and four-bedroom units, which start from 818 sq ft in size. Cheung Kong also sold several strata terrace units, and the highest price fetched was $3.2 million.

According to the developer’s sales manager Cannas Ho, upgraders made up more than 60 per cent of the buyers, and investors accounted for the remainder.

The Vision will have 281 apartments and 14 strata terrace units altogether. In view of the strong demand, the developer will release another 20 units of two to four-bedders for sale this weekend. Cheung Kong had planned to start the second phase of sale by Q4 this year. Whether it brings the release forward will depend on market response to the project, Ms Ho said.

Take-up so far surprised some market watchers, given that The Vision’s asking prices are higher than those of other developments nearby.

One of the newer launches in the area, City Developments’ Hundred Trees, achieved prices of above $1,100 psf in recent months. But those transactions involved mainly smaller units measuring 484 sq ft, and the project has a 956-year lease.

The robust take-up of units at The Vision ’shows the strong underlying demand for mass-market homes’, said Colliers International research and advisory director Tay Huey Ying. The prices achieved could raise the value of homes in the vicinity, and provide a guide for future launches, she added.

Cheung Kong’s Ms Ho attributed The Vision’s attractiveness to ‘good location and first-class amenities’. The site is across the road from West Coast Park and the sea.

Another developer felt that prices at The Vision are not that staggering, considering the attributes of the site, and that West Coast is home to several private housing estates. The market should not see the prices as signs of a bubble forming, he said.

Nevertheless, observers will be keeping watch on prices of upcoming launches nearby. Far East Organization’s Horizon Residences, a freehold 72-unit project in the Pasir Panjang area, could be previewed in the next few weeks.

Elsewhere, the buzz is starting for property agents promoting 76 Shenton Way. Some will be presenting information on the 99-year-leasehold 202-unit project to potential buyers today. Asking prices are said to range from $1,600 psf to above $2,000 psf, depending on the level of the units.

Agents are also gathering interest for Fragrance Group’s 161-unit Parc Elegance in Telok Kurau and Novelty Group’s Primo Residences near Kovan MRT station.

Source : Business Times - 13 March 2010

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Reserve list plot triggered by $82m offer

Reserve list plot triggered by $82m offer

But top bids seen reaching $300-$400 psf ppr, far from the $177 psf ppr minimum pitch

By KALPANA RASHIWALA

DEVELOPERS continue to hunger for land. The Urban Redevelopment Authority has announced that a private housing site at Upper Changi Road North/Flora Drive, next to Edelweiss Park Condominium, has been triggered for release from the government’s reserve list.

An unnamed developer has agreed to bid at least $82 million or $177.37 per square foot of potential gross floor area.

The 99-year leasehold plot is next to the Japanese School (Primary) and a stone’s throw from Changi Prison. It is nestled amid several large condominiums developed by the Hong Leong Group over the years on a huge tract of land acquired mostly in the 1970s by the group. The most recent of these projects is The Gale, which was launched last year. Earlier releases include Azalea, Ballota, Carissa, Dahlia, Edelweiss and Ferraria Park condos.

Property consultants polled by BT estimate that the latest plot on offer could fetch top bids of $300-400 psf per plot ratio (psf ppr).

Knight Frank managing director (advisory services) Lydia Sng estimates that a $320-350 psf ppr land bid would translate to a breakeven cost of $580-600 psf and a target average selling price of about $730 psf for the 99-year leasehold project.

In the first two months of this year, units at the freehold Gale and Ferraria Park - the two most recent projects in the area - have changed hands at a median price of about $740 psf, according to caveat data, she notes. The Gale is under construction, while Ferraria Park was completed last year. There’s typically a 15 per cent price difference between freehold and 99-year properties.

DTZ’s South-east Asia research head Chua Chor Hoon reckons that the highest offers for the Flora Drive site will be around $300-350 psf ppr, and the average selling price for the project around $700-750 psf. ‘As it’s not close to any MRT station, the unit land price will be lower,’ she says. ‘The developer can target the mass-market segment, in which there is strong demand.’

Real estate lecturer Nicholas Mak says that the site could draw 6-10 bids, with the highest around $350-400 psf ppr.

Chesterton Suntec International head of research and consultancy Colin Tan suggests that developers may be ‘pretty aggressive’ with their bids.

Most developers have reported excellent results and are sitting on a pile of cash, Mr Tan notes. ‘If the market is hot, you’re running out of land and you need to bid aggressively to get some land, it’s better to do so at the earlier stage of the up-cycle. As time passes by and the market gets closer to the correction point, the risks get higher.’

URA said yesterday that following the triggering of the Flora Drive housing site, another 16 residential plots remain on the first half 2010 reserve list that can potentially be triggered for launch. These include three executive condo (EC) plots and two mixed-use sites where private homes can be built. The 16 land parcels can potentially generate a total of 6,770 private homes.

The H1 2010 confirmed list has eight residential sites that can yield 2,925 units. Of these, four plots have been launched - EC sites near Buangkok MRT Station and at Yishun Avenue 11, the Ten Mile Junction plot and a site at Tampines Ave 1/10 fronting Bedok Reservoir. Two choice sites - one near Lakeside MRT Station and Jurong Lake, and the other diagonally opposite Simei MRT Station - will be launched from the confirmed list before the month runs out.

This week, National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan said that the H2 2010 government land sales (GLS) programme will have a ‘larger supply and wider variety of sites’ on the reserve list to give developers more choice.

DTZ executive director Ong Choon Fah suggests that the H2 2010 GLS Programme may feature more private housing sites further from the city, even if they are near MRT stations, as well as plots near HDB estates such as Choa Chu Kang, Yishun, Sengkang and Simei, where there is strong upgrader demand.

Such sites will hopefully sell at a lower unit land price and translate to more affordably-priced housing for end-buyers - compared with plum sites near MRT stations and closer to the city.

‘I think the affordable price range for private home buyers in the mass market is still $700-800 psf,’ Mrs Ong says.

In the meantime, developers are expected to continue triggering sites from the current H1 reserve list. ‘Developers need to replenish their landbanks and there’s a lot of choice now. So if they like something, why wait?’ says DTZ’s Ms Chua.

Source : Straits Times - 13 March 2010

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Illegal subletting: HDB to repossess man’s flats

Illegal subletting: HDB to repossess man’s flats

By Yeo Shang Long

HDB started checks after getting tip-off

IT ALL started with a tip-off to the Housing Board (HDB): A four-room flat in Bukit Batok was being rented out illegally.

Further checks confirmed that the flat - bought by Mr Poh Boon Kay and his wife Khoo Kim Cheng in June 2007 - had been sublet without the HDB’s prior approval to three Myanmar couples at a monthly rent of $1,900.

Mr Poh, a housing agent, and his family did not live in the flat.

They were told to evict the sub-tenants immediately on Nov 25 last year, failing which the board would take possession of the flat.

But the sub-tenants did not go.

On Dec 23, the HDB sent Mr Poh a notice to say it would take back his flat.

But Mr Poh, 61, claimed his tenants had agreed in writing to vacate the flat by the end of December.

The next day, he and his wife appealed against the HDB’s move. They said they intended to sell the flat to one of the tenants, who needed to sort out his finances.

The HDB then interviewed the couple on Jan 5 this year, during which they claimed they did not know that they needed prior approval to sublet the flat.

They also claimed that they were not aware of the minimum occupation period (MOP) of three years before they were allowed to sublet the flat.

But further HDB investigations showed that Mr Poh was connected with two other cases of unauthorised subletting of flats belonging to his relatives in Bukit Batok and Telok Blangah.

The flat in Bukit Batok belonged to his aunt, aged 91, and had been sublet to Myanmar monks since July last year for a monthly rent of $1,400.

The monks used it as a meditation centre, and the rent was paid to Mr Poh, who acted as his aunt’s housing agent.

The Telok Blangah flat, meanwhile, was owned by his daughter.

It had been rented out for $900 monthly since May.

Checks with neighbours confirmed that Mr Poh’s daughter was not living there.

Both flats were also sublet without obtaining the HDB’s prior consent, and the board said that it would be taking steps to acquire them compulsorily.

In a statement yesterday, the HDB said that the additional cases of illegal subletting by Mr Poh showed that his claims of being unaware of the HDB’s rules cannot be substantiated.

‘These regulations are publicly available from many sources,’ it said, adding that ‘there is clear evidence that Mr Poh, a housing agent by profession, has been intentionally abusing HDB flats for monetary gains’.

It concluded: ‘As he has blatantly flouted HDB’s rules, there are no grounds for leniency.’

Mr Poh Boon Kay shows the compulsory acquisition notice for his Bukit Batok flat, which had been rented out illegally. — ST PHOTOS: AZIZ HUSSIN
View more photos
IN A clear warning to those who sublet their flats illegally, the Housing Board (HDB) has moved to take back three apartments linked to a real estate agent who owns five private properties.

One flat to be repossessed belongs to the real estate agent, Mr Poh Boon Kay, 61, and his wife, Madam Khoo Kim Cheng, 52, who had illegally sublet their four-room flat in Bukit Batok.

The other two flats in Telok Blangah and Bukit Batok are owned by the couple’s daughter and Madam Khoo’s 91-year-old aunt respectively. Both flats were also illegally rented out.

He acted as agent for the elderly woman and collected rent on her behalf.

The HDB said it is taking legal action to take back the units.

It is the most serious case of illegal subletting in the last two years. Only three other flats have been compulsorily acquired in that time.

In November last year, the HDB checked and found that Mr Poh had sublet his flat to three Myanmar couples without HDB approval.

The Pohs, who were not living there at that time, had also breached the Minimum Occupation Period (MOP) of three years. This rule states that buyers who purchase resale flats without a housing grant from the Central Provident Fund Board have to live in the flat for three years before they can rent out the whole unit.

The HDB then told Mr Poh this was unauthorised, and that they were intending to repossess his flat. On Dec 23, the HDB pasted a notice of intention to compulsorily acquire his flat.

The HDB told The Straits Times yesterday that Mr Poh will continue to hold the title deeds until investigations are complete. It will then decide whether to take back the title deeds officially and compensate him to the amount of $125,000.

Mr Poh, who claims he paid $155,000 for the house, can lodge an appeal against the notice. When asked, he said he was intending to appeal.

Mr Poh, an ordinary member of the Institute of Estate Agents (IEA), pleaded ignorance of the three-year MOP; he said he had been told by the HDB’s counter staff that he could sublet the flat after a year. He could not name the HDB employee.

But the HDB said that because of Mr Poh’s links to the other illegal subletting cases, his claims of ignorance could not be substantiated.

‘There is clear evidence that Mr Poh, a housing agent by profession, has been intentionally abusing HDB flats for monetary gains,’ said the HDB spokesman.

Mr Poh said he had not seen the acquisition coming. He added: ‘I can’t believe a notice can be served within a month of the HDB giving a warning letter.’

He said it was more usual for the HDB to send a second warning, or even fine an errant owner first.

The Housing and Development Act says, however, that the HDB can compulsorily acquire a flat once it ascertains that the owner is illegally subletting it.

‘HDB takes a stern view of unauthorised subletting, and will not hesitate to take strong action against those who flout the rules,’ it said.

The Board added that it will bring Mr Poh’s case to the attention of the IEA.

Mr Poh, who claims his daughter is stuck in the United States with marital problems, declined to discuss the cases involving her and his wife’s aunt.

He said he did not know for sure when they bought their flats.

The HDB has taken action against 56 such owners in the last two years, dishing out punishments ranging from fines of $1,000 to $21,000, to repossessing the flats involved.

HDB added that there was no discernible upward trend.

Flat owners who wish to rent out their flats must obtain approval from the Board and fulfil the MOP. The current MOP for subletting flats is five years for flats bought directly from the HDB or resale flats purchased with a CPF Housing Grant, and three years for resale flats bought without the CPF grant.

About 682,000 flats are eligible for subletting, but only 3per cent of these flats are sublet.

Source : Straits Times - 13 March 2010

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HDB started checks after getting tip-off

HDB started checks after getting tip-off

IT ALL started with a tip-off to the Housing Board (HDB): A four-room flat in Bukit Batok was being rented out illegally.

Further checks confirmed that the flat - bought by Mr Poh Boon Kay and his wife Khoo Kim Cheng in June 2007 - had been sublet without the HDB’s prior approval to three Myanmar couples at a monthly rent of $1,900.

Mr Poh, a housing agent, and his family did not live in the flat.

They were told to evict the sub-tenants immediately on Nov 25 last year, failing which the board would take possession of the flat.

But the sub-tenants did not go.

On Dec 23, the HDB sent Mr Poh a notice to say it would take back his flat.

But Mr Poh, 61, claimed his tenants had agreed in writing to vacate the flat by the end of December.

The next day, he and his wife appealed against the HDB’s move. They said they intended to sell the flat to one of the tenants, who needed to sort out his finances.

The HDB then interviewed the couple on Jan 5 this year, during which they claimed they did not know that they needed prior approval to sublet the flat.

They also claimed that they were not aware of the minimum occupation period (MOP) of three years before they were allowed to sublet the flat.

But further HDB investigations showed that Mr Poh was connected with two other cases of unauthorised subletting of flats belonging to his relatives in Bukit Batok and Telok Blangah.

The flat in Bukit Batok belonged to his aunt, aged 91, and had been sublet to Myanmar monks since July last year for a monthly rent of $1,400.

The monks used it as a meditation centre, and the rent was paid to Mr Poh, who acted as his aunt’s housing agent.

The Telok Blangah flat, meanwhile, was owned by his daughter.

It had been rented out for $900 monthly since May.

Checks with neighbours confirmed that Mr Poh’s daughter was not living there.

Both flats were also sublet without obtaining the HDB’s prior consent, and the board said that it would be taking steps to acquire them compulsorily.

In a statement yesterday, the HDB said that the additional cases of illegal subletting by Mr Poh showed that his claims of being unaware of the HDB’s rules cannot be substantiated.

‘These regulations are publicly available from many sources,’ it said, adding that ‘there is clear evidence that Mr Poh, a housing agent by profession, has been intentionally abusing HDB flats for monetary gains’.

It concluded: ‘As he has blatantly flouted HDB’s rules, there are no grounds for leniency.’

Source : Straits Times - 13 March 2010

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China firm tops bid for EC site

China firm tops bid for EC site

MCC’s $281 psf bid for Yishun site beats experts’ forecast of $150-$210 psf

By Joyce Teo, Property Correspondent

A CHINESE firm new to Singapore’s residential development scene has topped the bidding for an executive condominium (EC) site in Yishun.

Beijing-headquartered MCC Land (Singapore), which lost out on last week’s tender for an EC site in Sengkang, was the highest bidder for the 15,074 sq m Yishun plot.

Its $127.8 million bid, or $281.31 per sq ft (psf) of gross floor area, easily beat earlier analysts’ expectations of $150-$210 psf of gross floor area.

Qingdao-based firm Qingjian Realty - which is behind the Natura Loft HDB design, build and sell scheme in Bishan - came in second, with a bid of $118.89 million or $261.71 psf of gross floor area.

Maxdin, part of United Engineers’ unit Greatearth Holding, was edged into a close third place with its offer of $117 million or $257.53 psf of gross floor area.

Among the other unsuccessful contenders were Far East Organization, Sim Lian Land and Boon Keng Development.

Most bidders also tendered for the Sengkang site last week.

Many of them are construction companies with the know-how to control and manage building costs, and are well placed to keep development expenses as low as possible, experts noted.

‘The results of this second EC site tender demonstrate developers’ fervour in acquiring sites for mass-market housing,’ said CBRE Research executive director Li Hiaw Ho.

MCC Land is part of listed Metallurgical Corporation of China, one of the world’s largest engineering and construction firms.

It has provided engineering and construction services in Singapore, and in 2008 clinched a contract for Universal Studios Singapore at Resorts World Sentosa. Qingjian Realty also began operations here as a contractor.

The Yishun EC plot can yield about 385 units and is near the completed Lilydale EC project. In the resale market of January-February this year, units there were selling at between $510 psf and $540 psf.

Although not within walking distance of an MRT station, the Yishun site is close to Yishun Park, Orchid Country Club and Lower Seletar Reservoir.

CBRE Research said the winning bid will translate into a break-even price of around $520 psf.

At this level, the final selling price of the EC units is likely to be around $600-$650 psf, said Colliers International’s executive director of investment sales Ho Eng Joo.

The winning bid, he said, took its cue from last week’s Sengkang EC tender, which attracted a higher-than-expected top bid of $315 psf of gross floor area.

Mr Li said the success of the recent launch of The Estuary private condominium in Yishun Avenue 1 had boosted developer confidence in selling EC projects in this location to first-timers. Over 500 units of The Estuary were reportedly sold at a price of $750-$800 psf, he said.

The winners of the Sengkang and Yishun EC tenders have to set aside 95 per cent of units in the initial month of sale for first-time home buyers.

ECs were introduced in 1995 to bridge the gap between public housing and private apartments. Only those with a gross monthly household income of $10,000 or less can apply

Source : Straits Times - 12 March 2010

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