For first-time married, Singaporean couples who need interim housing while waiting for their new HDB flat to be built, they have a few options for temporary affordable living arrangements.
There are many reasons why they would want to do so, one of which is they do not want to live with their parents or in-laws while waiting for their matrimonial flat.
An available living arrangement is the Parenthood Provisional Housing Scheme (PPHS), which is part of Singapore’s enhanced Marriage & Parenthood Package.
The scheme is meant to help married couples rent more affordably (while also help augment birth rates as couples wait for their flats to be ready).
Here then is your one-stop 3-point guide to learning more about the PPHS:
What is the Parenthood Provisional Housing Scheme?
Married couples can rent a flat from HDB at below market rates under the PPHS, a bonus since the Singapore housing market typically favours the buyer.
For instance, a 3-room HDB flat in Ang Mo Kio Ave 2 will cost $900 a month (compare that to estates like Toa Payoh and Queenstown, where that is usually the rent of a single room in someone’s flat).
Similarly, 5-room flats are available for $1,700 to $1,900 per month. Furthermore, the flats are unfurnished and only retrofitted with basic fittings to keep rents as low as possible.
Depending on how you’d see it, this really allows for complete autonomy to purchase furnishings according to personal preferences.
Who is eligible for PPHS?
PPHS flats are usually vacated flats at selected sites under the Selective En-bloc Redevelopment Scheme (SERS).
These flats are not needed for immediate land redevelopment and have no other interim use either.
As the stock of PPHS flats is limited, priority is given to married or engaged couples who have booked an as-yet-to-complete new HDB or SBF flat.
This applies to applicants who registered as first-time citizen household in their BTO/SBF applications – not as owners of an existing HDB flat.
Finally, the marriage has to be registered within three months of taking possession of the rental flat. Note that divorced or widowed parents with children are also eligible for PPHS.
PPHS is not to be confused with interim use rental flats offered under the Public Rental or Interim Rental Housing Schemes. The latter schemes are for low-income families who have no other housing options or family support, and families in financial hardship who are waiting for (or working out their long-term housing solution), respectively.
How long can you rent the PPHS flat?
Tenancy duration is capped at 3 years, and the tenancy term should end within 4 months of the Estimated Completion Date of your flat or the PPHS site’s availability of use (whichever is shorter).
While making their initial application, applicants are advised to select a PPHS flat with a duration that best suits their needs.
Successful applicants are typically allowed to stay in the rented PPHS flat until their new HDB flat is ready for occupation for the entire requested duration.
However, in the event that the PPHS flat is on a site that is required for redevelopment before the couple’s new flat is ready, they may be allocated another PPHS flat on a yearly basis by HDB, if available.
For more information and how to apply for PPHS, visit HDB’s website.
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Recently married and waiting for your matrimonial home to be complete? Share your thoughts about PPHS with us in the comments section.
If you found this article useful, 99.co recommends 4 Affordable Living Arrangements For Couples Whose Homes are Still Under Construction.
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