Housing in Singapore

The Housing Development Board is a government agency of Singapore.

Among its goals is to provide affordable housing for Singaporeans. I must check first, however, if this assistance extends even to Filipino expats based in Singapore. Buyers of these affordable units must be Singaporean citizens, though.

If you're from the Philippines, the images that come to mind whenever someone says "low-cost housing" are rows of identical houses or units, whose dwellers are not exactly that well off. In Singapore, however, things are treated differently.

For example, these public housing flats or HDBs are used by around 85% of the Singaporean population. Also, there are various levels of housing which are governed by rules based on your monthly income. In addition, there are permanent residency issues to contend with.

If you've just recently moved to Singapore, you might not be able to get an HDB flat right away. Please budget for the possibility of having to rent the pricier flats or condo units. In several cases, be prepared to ride out the length of the lease contract (i.e., 12 months).

Finding suitable housing in Singapore need not be an exercise in over-spending. You'll need to network and touch base with HDB flat owners, and perhaps work out a win-win deal. Alternatively, you can find a higher paying job in Singapore. :-)

[ First posted on 03/16/2008 by Manuel Viloria ]