HDB BTO Mature Estate Flats 2023: Bedok, Serangoon BTO launching in May

Buyers looking to secure a Build-To-Order (BTO) flat in mature estates can look forward to more of such units being launched in 2023.

National Development Minister Desmond Lee also said on Monday that measures to help first-time applicants own their first home, including an additional BTO flat ballot chance for families with children and married couples aged 40 and below, will be effective from the August BTO sales exercise.

There are typically four BTO sales exercises in a year – in February, May, August and November.

HDB BTO February 2023: 28 Feb

The first BTO sales exercise of the year will be launched on 28 February 2023. Almost 4,500 BTO flats will be offered in the mature estates of Kallang/Whampoa and Queenstown, as well as the non-mature estates of Jurong West and Tengah, Mr Lee said in a Facebook post.

In 2023, the Housing Board will launch around 23,000 BTO flats to meet strong demand.

Read More: HDB BTO Feb 2023 - Tengah, Dover, Kallang, Jurong

More young couples wish to live near parents

Mr Lee said many young couples have shared that they wish to live near their parents for mutual care and support, and have been trying to secure BTO flats in mature estates. “We understand their needs and aspirations, and will be offering more BTO flats in mature estates this year,” he said.

However, Mr Lee noted that these estates are generally more built-up, with existing residential blocks, facilities and transport infrastructure. More care and planning is needed to ensure that works are carried out safely, in line with regulatory requirements, and with minimal disruption to the community living nearby, he said.

Tengah & Jurong HDB BTO Completion Earlier

“Therefore, it will take more time to prepare the sites and complete the BTO projects,” he added. Those who would like to move into their homes sooner can consider projects that will be completed earlier, such as the two upcoming BTO projects in Tengah and Jurong West, said Mr Lee.

HDB had previously said that it was working to reduce the median waiting time for a BTO flat to the pre-pandemic norm of three to four years. At the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, the waiting time was around four to five years.

Mr Lee said he will announce other measures to reduce the non-selection rate for BTO applications and to prioritise BTO flats for those with genuine and urgent housing needs during the debate on his ministry’s budget this week.

BTO Launching in Bedok, Serangoon in May

The mature estates of Bedok and Serangoon will get new Housing Board flats for the first time in about seven and nine years respectively, with 1,960 flats to be launched across both towns in the next Build-To-Order (BTO) sales exercise in May.

Both BTO projects will have five-room flats, which are more commonly offered in non-mature estates and selected mature estates located farther from the city centre.

In Bedok, HDB will build around 1,630 two-room flexi, three-room, four-room, five-room and three-generation flats on a site near Tanah Merah MRT station. The site is bounded by Bedok South Road and Bedok South Avenue 3.

HDB BTO Serangoon North Ave 1

In Serangoon, 330 four-room and five-room flats will be launched on a site bounded by Serangoon North Avenue 1 and Yio Chu Kang Road. This will be the first provision of larger flats in the mature estate since the BTO system was fully implemented in 2002.

HDB last launched new flats in Bedok in November 2016, when it offered 1,655 BTO flats across three projects.

Of the three, only one project had five-room flats.

In January 2014, 150 studio apartments for the elderly were launched in Serangoon.

One Global Group senior analyst Mohan Sandrasegeran said the inclusion of five-room flats in both mature estates will likely generate considerable interest from potential buyers who have been waiting for such an opportunity.

“This presents an excellent opportunity for home buyers who are interested in securing a spacious flat,” he added.

HDB typically offers five-room BTO flats in mature estates such as Tampines, Pasir Ris and Ang Mo Kio, and not in those that are more centrally located such as Queenstown, Bukit Merah and Bishan.

This story was originally published on The Straits Times.