Desmond Lee on safeguards against breaches of HDB's Minimum Occupation Period rule
Flat owners who are unable to fulfil the Minimum Occupation Period (MOP) due to changes in their circumstances will have to return the unit to the Housing and Development Board (HDB). Between January 2017 and December 2022, a total of 258 Build-to-Order flats and 168 resale flats were returned to HDB. These were mostly due to changes in the owners' circumstances, such as divorce or separation and demise. National Development Minister Desmond Lee shared these statistics in reply to Parliamentary questions on Monday (Jan 9). He said HDB detects potential infringements of the MOP rule through regular inspections, feedback from the public and property agents, as well as the use of data analytics. He said HDB tries to strike a balance in its investigations. It wants to ensure that rules are complied with, without overly impinging on the privacy of owners. Since 2017, HDB has inspected about 35,000 homes. Between 2017 and 2022, it received around 4,700 pieces of feedback on potential infringements of the MOP rule. From January 2017 to November 2022, HDB took action against 53 owners who had not occupied their flats. Of these, 21 have had their flat compulsorily acquired. Mr Lee said property agents also have a role to play. The Council for Estate Agencies (CEA) has taken disciplinary action against errant agents. Between 2017 and 2022, CEA investigated 51 cases involving 69 property agents who had assisted their clients to market HDB flats which might not have met the MOP rule. Investigations into 32 cases have been completed and CEA took disciplinary action against 18 property agents for breaches. Nineteen cases are still under investigation. Mr Lee said HDB and CEA will continue to work closely to investigate cases involving HDB owners who sell or rent out their flats during the MOP. He stressed that the MOP policy safeguards HDB flats for households with genuine housing needs and helps in part to deter speculative purchases so that HDB flats can remain affordable.
Flat owners who are unable to fulfil the Minimum Occupation Period (MOP) due to changes in their circumstances will have to return the unit to the Housing and Development Board (HDB). Between January 2017 and December 2022, a total of 258 Build-to-Order flats and 168 resale flats were returned to HDB. These were mostly due to changes in the owners' circumstances, such as divorce or separation and demise. National Development Minister Desmond Lee shared these statistics in reply to Parliamentary questions on Monday (Jan 9). He said HDB detects potential infringements of the MOP rule through regular inspections, feedback from the public and property agents, as well as the use of data analytics. He said HDB tries to strike a balance in its investigations. It wants to ensure that rules are complied with, without overly impinging on the privacy of owners. Since 2017, HDB has inspected about 35,000 homes. Between 2017 and 2022, it received around 4,700 pieces of feedback on potential infringements of the MOP rule. From January 2017 to November 2022, HDB took action against 53 owners who had not occupied their flats. Of these, 21 have had their flat compulsorily acquired. Mr Lee said property agents also have a role to play. The Council for Estate Agencies (CEA) has taken disciplinary action against errant agents. Between 2017 and 2022, CEA investigated 51 cases involving 69 property agents who had assisted their clients to market HDB flats which might not have met the MOP rule. Investigations into 32 cases have been completed and CEA took disciplinary action against 18 property agents for breaches. Nineteen cases are still under investigation. Mr Lee said HDB and CEA will continue to work closely to investigate cases involving HDB owners who sell or rent out their flats during the MOP. He stressed that the MOP policy safeguards HDB flats for households with genuine housing needs and helps in part to deter speculative purchases so that HDB flats can remain affordable.
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