Tuesday 31 July 2012

HDB Launches 7 BTO Projects Offering 4,191 New Flats and Enhances Special CPF Housing Grant (Source: HDB)


Date issued : 31 Jul 2012

 HDB announced today:
 a) The launch of seven BTO projects offering 4,191 new flats
 b) Enhancements to the Special CPF Housing Grant (SHG)

(A) Launch of seven BTO projects offering 4,191 new flats

2HDB launched seven BTO projects today, offering 4,191 new flats in two non-mature towns (Choa Chu Kang and Punggol) and three mature towns (Bukit Merah, Clementi and Geylang). This is the fourth BTO launch this year and HDB remains on track to launch 25,000 flats this year.

3The details of the flats offered are in Annex A  (PDF 2356KB). To ensure first-timers continue to enjoy priority in flat allocation, at least 95% and 85% of the BTO flat supply (excluding Studio Apartments) in mature towns and non-mature towns respectively will be set aside for them.

4Eligible first-timer households can also enjoy various housing grants to help them own a new BTO flat. The selling prices are shown in Table 1:

Table 1: July 2012 BTO Prices
Project
Flat Type
Selling Price (excluding Grants)
Selling Price
(inclusive of Grants)
Non-Mature Towns/Estates
Keat Hong Axis
2-room
From $99,000
From $39,000
3-room
From $151,000
From $116,000
4-room
From $243,000
From $228,000
5-room
From $309,000
From $299,000
Punggol Opal
2-room
From $104,000
From $44,000
Punggol Opal & Waterway Cascadia
3-room
From $178,000
From $143,000
4-room
From $289,000
From $274,000
Waterway Cascadia
5-room
From $390,000
From $380,000
Mature Town/Estate
Clementi Gateway
3-room
From $301,000
From $271,000
4-room
From $430,000
From $415,000
Depot Heights
Studio Apartments
From $115,000
-
Depot Heights & Telok Blangah Ridgeview
3-room
From $285,000
From $255,000
4-room
From $430,000
From $415,000
GreenTops
@ Sims Place
Studio Apartments
From $114,000
-
3-room
From $284,000
From $254,000
Notes: 
Punggol Opal (standard) offers 2-/3-/4-room flats whereas Waterway Cascadia (premium) offers 3-/4-/5-room flats. Only applicants with gross monthly household income not exceeding $5,000 are eligible to be considered for the 3-room standard flats in Punggol Opal.
  • Depot Heights offers studio apartments and 3-/4-room flats whereas Telok Blangah Ridgeview offers 3-/4-room flats.
  • For 2-room flats, assumed Additional CPF Housing Grant (AHG) of $40,000 and Special CPF Housing Grant (SHG) of $20,000
  • For 3-room flats, assumed AHG of $30,000 and SHG of $5,000.
  • For 4-room flats, assumed AHG of $15,000.
  • For 5-room flats, assumed AHG of $10,000.
  • SHG applicable only to 2-room and 3-room standard flats in the non-mature estates.
  • Actual Grant amounts will vary based on income and choice of flat. Read more on various CPF Housing Grants Available
  • Studio Apartments are sold on 30-year lease. Prices are inclusive of the elderly-friendly fittings/finishes.
  • 2-/3-/4-/5-room flats are sold on 99-year lease.

Combined BTO and SBF Launch in September 2012
5
 In Sep 2012, HDB will offer 3,700 new BTO flats for sale in Ang Mo Kio, Choa Chu Kang, Kallang Whampoa, Tampines and Woodlands. More information is available on the HDB InfoWEB.
6HDB will also offer 3,000 flats in a concurrent Sale of Balance Flats (SBF) exercise. The balance flats will have good geographical spread and comprise flats from both mature and non-mature estates.
Applications and Enquiries for July 2012 BTO Launch

7Applications for the new flats launched can be submitted online from today, 31 July 2012 (Tuesday), to 6 Aug 2012 (Monday).
8More details of the application procedures can be found in Annex B  (PDF 134KB). For enquiries, the public can:

 a) Log on to esales.hdb.gov.sg; or

 b) E-mail hdbsales@hdb.gov.sg; or

 c) Visit the HDB Sales Office to speak with our Customer Service Officers during office hours (Mon to Fri 8 am to 5 pm, Saturday 8 am to 1 pm).

(B) Enhancement to Special CPF Housing Grant (SHG)

9In March 2011, MND introduced the Special CPF Housing Grant (SHG) to help first-timer low income households own their homes. Those earning between $1,501 and $2,250 can qualify for a SHG of up to $15,000 if they buy a 2-room or 3-room standard flat in the non-mature estates from HDB. Those earning $1,500 or less can qualify for a SHG of $20,000 if they buy a 2-room standard flat in the non-mature estates from HDB. The restriction to a 2-room standard flat is to encourage financial prudence, and ensure that these low-income households do not overstretch themselves. The SHG is over and above the regular market subsidy for new flats.
10With effective credit assessment by HDB to help the low-income households buy a flat within their means, we have decided to extend the SHG (of $20,000) for first-timer households earning $1,500 and below, to include purchases of 3-room standard flats in non-mature estates. The enhancement will expand the housing options available to low-income households who need more space, and can afford a larger flat, with the help of government subsidies. This will take effect from the July BTO launch.

11Together with the Additional CPF Housing Grant (AHG), households earning $1,500 and below can now enjoy total housing grants of $60,000 for the purchase of 2-room or 3-room standard flats in non-mature estates from HDB. Table 2 summarizes the housing grants available to first-timers buying new flats from HDB.

Table 2: Housing Grants available to First-Timer New Flat Buyers
Average Monthly Household Income in Preceding Year of Flat Application
Amounts of Grants 
(On Top of Market Subsidy)
Flat Types Eligible for SHG 
(Only for Flats Bought from HDB)
AHG
SHG
Total
Not more than $1,500
$40,000
$20,000
$60,000
  • 2-room standard flats in non-mature estates
  • 3-room standard flats in non-mature estates
$1,501 to $1,750
$35,000
$15,000
$50,000
  • 2-room standard flats in non-mature estates
  • 3-room standard flats in non-mature estates
$1,751 to $2,000
$35,000
$10,000
$45,000
$2,001 to $2,250
$30,000
$5,000
$35,000
  • 3-room standard flats in non-mature estates
Note: 
1) AHG is available for all flat types, regardless of whether the flat is bought from the HDB or from the open market, or a flat under the Design, Build and Sell Scheme (DBSS) from private developer and whether they are in mature or non-mature estates. 
2) The current household income ceilings for 2-room and 3-room standard flats in non-mature estates are $2,000 and $5,000 per month respectively. 

12For enquiries, the public can contact HDB at the following numbers:

 a. Sales/Resale Customer Service Line: 1800 8663 066 b. Branch Office Service Line: 1800 2255 432

Compass Heights Transacted Units (Jun - July 2012)


Blk Road Floor Project BuiltIn (ft2) Sales Price Est.PSF
11  SENGKANG SQUARE  Mid COMPASS HEIGHTS  1,109  $940K $848 SOLD
SENGKANG SQUARE  High COMPASS HEIGHTS  1,238  $1.02M $828 SOLD

Source: ERA

Friday 27 July 2012

Release Of 2nd Quarter 2012 Public Housing Data


HDB Resale Market

2HDB’s Resale Price Index (RPI) rose from 191.6 in 1st Quarter 2012 to 194.0 in the 2nd Quarter 2012, representing an increase of 1.3% over the previous quarter (see Annex A1  (PDF 30KB) and A2  (PDF 49KB)). This is the same figure as the flash estimate released on 2 July 2012.

3Resale transactions increased by about 19% from 5,900 cases in 1st Quarter 2012 to 7,000 cases in 2nd Quarter 2012 (see Annex B (PDF 35KB)).

4The median resale prices and Cash-Over-Valuation (COV) amounts in the various towns are tabulated in Annexes C  (PDF 48KB) and D (PDF 49KB).


Upcoming Sales Launches

5HDB has offered 12,700 flats under its Build-To-Order (BTO) exercises and another 3,800 flats under a Sale of Balance Flats exercise in 1st half 2012.

6In July 2012, HDB will offer 4,200 new flats in seven projects, spread over five towns/estates: Bukit Merah, Choa Chu Kang, Clementi, Geylang, and Punggol. A project in Bedok originally planned for launch in Jul 2012 has been postponed to finalize the design for launch. This site will be launched later this year. HDB remains on track to launch 25,000 flats this year. Information on the coming July 2012 BTO exercise is available on the HDB InfoWEB.



HDB Rental Market

7Median subletting rents in various towns in 2nd Quarter 2012 are tabulated in Annex E  (PDF 48KB).

8Subletting transactions rose by about 3% from 6,700 cases in 1st Quarter 2012 to 6,900 cases in 2nd Quarter 2012 (see Annex F  (PDF 33KB)). The total number of HDB flats approved for subletting rose to 41,800 units in 2nd Quarter 2012, compared to 41,200 units in 1st Quarter 2012.

Source: HDB - 27 July 2012

Release of 2nd Quarter 2012 Real Estate Statistics



The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) released today the real estate statistics for 2nd Quarter 2012.
PRIVATE RESIDENTIAL PROPERTIES
Prices and Rentals
Prices of private residential properties increased by 0.4% in 2nd Quarter 2012, compared to the 0.1% decrease in the previous quarter.
Prices of non-landed properties in Core Central Region (CCR)1  and Rest of Central Region (RCR) increased by 0.6% and 0.4% respectively in 2nd Quarter 2012, compared to the decrease of 0.6% for both market segments in the previous quarter. For Outside Central Region (OCR), prices increased at a slower pace of 0.5% in 2nd Quarter 2012, compared to the increase of 1.1% in the previous quarter (see Annexes A-1A-2 & A-62).
Rentals of private residential properties increased by 0.3% in 2nd Quarter 2012, the same rate of increase as in the previous quarter (see Annexes A-3 & A-4). 
Launches and Take-up
A total of 6,115 uncompleted private residential units were launched for sale by developers in 2nd Quarter 2012, compared with 6,903 units in 1st Quarter 2012 (see Annex C-1).
5,402 private residential units (both completed and uncompleted) were sold by developers in 2nd Quarter 2012, compared with 6,526 units in 1st Quarter 2012.  Most of the units, close to 70%, sold by developers were from OCR in 2nd Quarter 2012 (see Annex C-2).  Take-up of shoe-box units (i.e. smaller than 50 sqm) accounted for 19% (or 1,038 units) of new sales in the quarter, less than the 27% in the previous quarter (see Annex C-3).  Lower-priced units less than $750,000 accounted for 27% (or 1,435 units) of new sales in 2nd Quarter 2012, lower than the 42% (or 2,766 units) seen last quarter (see Annex C-3). 
Resales and Sub-sales
The volume of resale transactions increased significantly from 2,206 units in 1st Quarter 2012 to 3,487 units in 2nd Quarter 2012. Resale transactions accounted for 37% of all sales in 2nd Quarter 2012, higher than the 24% in the previous quarter (see Annex D).  
Sub-sales accounted for 6% of all sale transactions in 2nd Quarter 2012, higher than the 5% recorded in 1st Quarter 2012 (see Annex D).
Supply in the Pipeline
As at the end of 2nd Quarter 2012, there was a total supply of 83,251 uncompleted private residential units from projects in the pipeline3, higher than the 78,572 units in 1st Quarter 20124 (see Annexes E-1 & E-25).  The pipeline supply of 83,251 units was the highest ever recorded since such data were first available in 1999.
Of the supply in the pipeline, 38,175 units remained unsold as at 2nd Quarter 2012. The unsold units comprised 12,124 units in CCR, 8,618 units in RCR and 17,433 units in OCR (see Annexes B-1 & B-2).
Stock and Vacancy
The stock of completed private residential units increased by 2,130 units in 2nd Quarter 2012. The vacancy rate of completed private residential units decreased slightly from 6.0% as at the end of 1st Quarter 2012 to 5.9% as at the end of 2nd Quarter 2012 (see Annex E-1).
Executive Condominiums
The total stock of completed Executive Condominium (EC) units remained unchanged at 10,430 units as at the end of 2nd Quarter 2012.  There were 7,539 EC units in the pipeline (see Annex E-1).
Developers launched 1,081 new EC units for sale in 2nd Quarter 2012 (see Annex F).  Developers sold 869 EC units in 2nd Quarter 2012, compared with 1,557 units sold in 1st Quarter 2012. 
URA’S REAL ESTATE INFORMATION SERVICE
More detailed information on the price and rental indices, supply in the pipeline, stock and vacancy position of the various property sectors can be found in the Real Estate Information System (REALIS), an online database of URA.
More information on REALIS can be found at http://spring.ura.gov.sg/lad/ore/login/index.cfm.  You can also contact the REALIS hotline at 6329 3456.
1       Core Central Region comprises postal districts 9, 10, 11, Downtown Core Planning Area and Sentosa. A map of Central Region showing the Core Central Region (CCR) and the Rest of Central Region (RCR) is available at:  http://spring.ura.gov.sg/lad/ore/login/map_ccr.pdf
2     The prices of private residential properties are not uniform and vary from project to project. Home-buyers can view more detailed information on transactions of private residential properties at:http://www.ura.gov.sg/propertyinfo. Similar information can also be accessed by users on the go via the new iphone/ipad application introduced by URA. The application can be downloaded directly fromhttp://itunes.apple.com/us/app/property-market-information/id428469176?mt=8&ls=1.
3       The term “projects in the pipeline” refers to new development and redevelopment projects with planning approvals, i.e. either Provisional Permissions (PPs) or Written Permissions (WPs). A WP is a final approval granted under the Planning Act for a proposed development, as compared with a PP, which is a conditional approval.
4    The expected completion dates of private residential projects in the pipeline are provided by the developers of these projects.
5       More detailed data on supply in the pipeline by market segment, development status and expected year of completion can be found at http://www.ura.gov.sg/propertyinfo.

Source: URA - 27 July 2012

Wednesday 25 July 2012

Landlord wins non-lease renewal case



Tenancy is not extended beyond the original lease period just because tenant continues to pay rent. 

Generic photograph of the Singapore Central Business District (CBD) skyline, showing the skyscrapers in the city centre, as well as Housing Development Board (HDB) high-rise apartments and private condominiums.


Singapore - In a ruling which has implications in landlord and tenant agreements, including commercial and residential leasing arrangements, the High Court last week ruled that a tenant cannot assume that the landlord has automatically agreed to renew a tenancy just because monthly rental payments were accepted for months following the end of the official tenancy period.

In the case involving plaintiff and landlord C&P Holdings Pte Ltd (C&P) against defendant and tenant Kuehne+Nagel Pte Ltd (K&N), Justice Quentin Loh ruled on July 16 that a three-year lease was not validly extended despite the tenant K&N e-mailing the landlord C&P about 17 months in advance to say that it will exercise its right to extend the (tenancy) contract.

Landlord C&P never replied to the K&N e-mail, remained silent and did not warn its tenant that the lease was going to expire. Rather, C&P continued to invoice the tenant and accepted payment of rental after the lease expired.

Justice Loh agreed with plaintiff's lawyer that the tenant's e-mail was only an "expression of future intention", and added that the landlord was entitled to remain silent about this statement of future intention.

He added that the landlord's "silence can only amount to a representation when there is a duty to speak or disclose, and the landlord had neither the duty to respond to the tenant's expression of its intention to extend the lease nor the duty to inform the tenant that the lease term had expired".

He ruled that the landlord had no duty to tell the tenant the lease was going to expire or had expired, and added that the landlord's act of continuing to invoice the tenant and accept rental payment did not mean the lease was extended by two years as per the contract. Rather, after the three-year tenancy expired on Jan 8, 2009, "a periodic" month-to-month tenancy was created which either party could terminate by giving one month's notice to the other.

The property involved was a 50,000 sq ft warehouse space, first taken in January 2006, then extended to 110,000 sq ft by April 2007. In May that year, K&N sent C&P a note saying "as per clause 2.02, we will exercise our right to extend the contract to a five-year term from April 1, 2007, to March 31, 2012".

The judge noted that the correct extension should have been for another two years from Jan 9, 2009, to Jan 8, 2011. But C&P did not respond to this e-mail for more than 22 months.

The case has general application to all kinds of leases, including residential and commercial leases, as it implies that tenants cannot assume their tenancy is extended beyond the original lease period just because they continue to pay rent. When the original contract expires, what tenants have is a periodic tenancy which the landlord can terminate by giving one or more months' notice.

The plaintiff, C&P, was represented by Suresh Divyanathan of Oon & Bazul LLP, while defendant K&N was represented by Thomas Tan and Janice Choy of Haridass Ho & partners.

This article was first published in The Business Times.


Ven Sreenivasan

Tue, Jul 24, 2012
The Business Times


Source: AsiaOne 

River Isles @ Punggol


Monday 23 July 2012

Sengkang HDB Units Sold



ROOM TYPE BLK STREET NAME FLOOR PRICE
5 IMP 201D COMPASSVALE DRIVE Low S$510K SOLD
6 EA 298A COMPASSVALE STREET Mid S$593K SOLD
5 IMP 258D COMPASSVALE ROAD Low S$523K SOLD
5 IMP 305C ANCHORVALE LINK Low S$501K SOLD
4 PREMIUM 273A COMPASSVALE LINK Low S$600K SOLD
5 D&B 298D COMPASSVALE STREET Low S$481K SOLD
5 PREMIUM 406C FERNVALE ROAD High S$529K SOLD
5 IMP 141 RIVERVALE STREET High S$504K SOLD



Source: ERA (1st July till 23rd July 2012)

Government to release two residential sites estimated to yield 950 housing units in July 2012


To provide developers and home-buyers with more choices for private housing, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) and Housing & Development Board (HDB) have launched two residential sites at Dairy Farm Road and Punggol Way / Punggol Walk respectively for sale by public tender today.
The two land parcels are launched for sale under the Confirmed List of the 2nd half 2012 (2H2012) Government Land Sales (GLS) Programme. Together, these sites will yield about 950 units, as part of the 7,060 residential units to be launched for sale under the 2H2012 GLS Programme.


Land Parcel at Dairy Farm Road

The site at Dairy Farm Road is located within an established private residential estate and is easily accessible by Bukit Timah Expressway and Pan Island Expressway. It is also located close to the future Hillview MRT Station on the Downtown Line 2.

Land Parcel at Punggol Way / Punggol Walk

Located near the Punggol Promenade, the site at Punggol Way / Punggol Walk enjoys accessibility to Tampines Expressway, which is a mere minutes away. The site is also near Punggol MRT station and Punggol bus interchange.

Other Details

Tender for the residential sites at Dairy Farm Road and Punggol Way / Punggol Walk will close at 12 noon on 11 September 2012 and 4 September 2012 respectively. Selection of the successful tenderer will be based on the tendered land price only.
Details of the land parcels and their location plans are given in Annex 1 and Annex 2. More details on the land parcels are available on the respective URA and HDB websites at:
http://www.ura.gov.sg/sales/DairyFarm/CL/DairyFarm-intro(CL).html

(Dairy Farm Road)
http://www.hdb.gov.sg/fi10/fi10330p.nsf/w/LandDevMangPunggolWayPunggolWalkCL?OpenDocument

(Punggol Way / Punggol Walk)
Developer's packets containing details and conditions of tender of the sites are available at:


For URA site at Dairy Farm Road
Customer Service Centre
1st Storey, The URA Centre,
45 Maxwell Road
Singapore 069118


For HDB Site at Punggol Way / Punggol Walk
HDB's Procurement Office, Basement 1, HDB Hub,
480 Lorong 6 Toa Payoh
Singapore 310480

Source: URA Website - 23 July 2012