Empty BTO flats up on the market on property portals, regardless of 5-year MOP rule for house owners

SINGAPORE – Not less than three unrenovated Construct-To-Order (BTO) flats that seem to have by no means been lived in earlier than are up on the market on property itemizing portals, regardless of the Housing Board’s rule that flat house owners should keep of their unit for the total five-year minimal occupation interval (MOP).

These flats haven’t any lighting fixtures or kitchen carpentry and include the unique sanitary fittings offered by HDB – with some rest room bowls nonetheless wrapped in plastic.

Nationwide Growth Minister Desmond Lee, in a Fb put up on Monday, stated house owners can’t purchase a BTO flat, not transfer into it for 5 years, after which promote it as “virtually model new” on the resale market. If house owners are unable to fulfil the MOP, the flat must be returned to HDB. It’ll then be put up as a steadiness flat for different residence consumers to use for, he added.

“In any other case, it might be a breach of HDB guidelines and HDB will examine accordingly,” Mr Lee stated.

A test by The Straits Instances on Tuesday night discovered three such vacant flats on PropertyGuru, with brokers touting these models as a “clean canvas” and “by no means stayed in earlier than, model new”.

One in all them – a four-room HDB flat at 292B Bukit Batok East Avenue 6 – was taken down from the property portal on Wednesday morning, after netizens posted about it within the remark part of Mr Lee’s Fb web page.

The unit, which reached the MOP this 12 months, had an asking value of $688,888 and was listed as being on a excessive ground with an unblocked view. Images from the itemizing confirmed an empty kitchen and bed room, in addition to a rest room bowl wrapped in plastic.

The agent who listed it described the unit as a “clean canvas – no want spend cash to hack something” that was owned by a “motivated vendor” who might hand over the unit as soon as the transaction was accomplished.

An in-person viewing scheduled for Wednesday morning by this reporter with the itemizing agent was cancelled an hour earlier than the appointment time. Additional calls to the agent went unanswered.

One other itemizing for a three-room HDB flat 95A Henderson Street acknowledged an asking value of $750,000. The unit appeared to have by no means been renovated, apart from lighting put in on the ceiling.

A walkthrough video confirmed a pile of spare tiles, that are offered freed from cost by HDB to help house owners of their renovation works, saved within the unit’s family shelter.

In the meantime, an agent who listed a three-room HDB flat at 110A Depot Street described it as “by no means stayed in earlier than, model new” in its itemizing, with an asking value of $650,000. The unit is simply over 5 years previous.

Each listings had been nonetheless up on PropertyGuru on the time of publication.