Sim Ann on technical issues affecting HDB Flat Eligibility letters

No buyers missed out on the HDB sales launch in May 2023 despite technical issues that affected the implementation of HDB Flat Eligibility (HFE) letters. These HFE letters were introduced in May with the aim of streamlining the flat-buying process by integrating various eligibility assessments into a single application. Senior Minister of State for National Development Sim Ann said some buyers experienced longer processing times. This was due to system errors and high application volumes, as well as the system being “not yet able to handle some complexities in integrating eligibility assessments with data from various agencies”, leading to a higher-than-expected proportion of cases requiring manual intervention. She said for the May sales launch, transitional arrangements were made, requiring only an intention to buy and a preliminary HFE check. In the lead-up to the October BTO launch, HDB carried out additional system enhancements to ensure a smoother process. Meanwhile, buyers who had reached out to HDB because they urgently needed HFE applications to be completed for resale transactions have all been helped, said Ms Sim. She was answering Parliamentary questions on Wednesday (Oct 4).