5 days ago
This HDB scheme allowed a young Singaporean couple to live together before their BTO key collection, Lifestyle News
Picture this: minimalistic living room walls painted a fresh coat of tan and bathed in warm lighting, contrasted against the array of rainbow-coloured toys scattered across the floors. A curious 9-month-old zigzags across the space on all fours with unbridled ease.
This was the sight that greeted us when 25-year-old Amirulazhari Ahmad Reza, and his wife, 24-year-old Nadia Nuraisha, ushered us into their new Build-To-Order (BTO) flat in Yishun.
It is the couple's first BTO, but not their first taste of living together as a nuclear family unit. Engaged in 2022 and married in 2023, the couple was able to secure a rental unit under the Parenthood Provisional Housing Scheme (PPHS), which they lived in for about 6 months, as they waited for their BTO flat's key collection. Renting a subsidised HDB flat under PPHS
In 2024, during the last trimester of Nadia's pregnancy, the couple rented a 2-room unit in Sengkang at a subsidised rate of $400 per month with the PPHS.
PPHS is a temporary housing option for young couples and families waiting to collect the keys to their new flats. The scheme is applicable to applicants with a household income of $7,000 or below, based on the assessed income in their initial application to buy a BTO flat.
"As we settle down as first-time parents... [The PPHS experience] gave us a sneak peek of how actual life is going to be like," said Amirulazhari, as he elaborated on how both he and his spouse learnt how to manage household chores, especially in anticipation of a newborn baby.
The couple shared that while they valued the help and support that they would have received from living with their parents, they wanted to become more self-reliant as they transitioned into a new phase of their lives as first-time parents.
Now that they get to stay in their own flat, they have come to appreciate the soft skills they gained from the short stint in temporary housing. Through independent living, they have had the opportunity to manage household essentials such as paying for their own electricity bills and budgeting for necessities.
To meet demand for PPHS flats, HDB has ramped up the supply of PPHS flats from 800 in 2021 to over 2,000 units and will further double it to 4,000 units by the end of 2025. Applicants may apply via the HDB website, with the PPHS application window open from the 1st to the 14th every alternate month, on even months of the year (Feb, Apr, Jun, Aug, Oct, Dec). More BTO flats with shorter waiting time of less than three years
Just months into becoming first-time parents, the couple marked yet another milestone in their relationship, receiving the keys to their new home.
Their BTO flat was part of Grove Spring @ Yishun, a Shorter Waiting Time (SWT) project, with an estimated waiting time of around 2.5 years. Flats with shorter waiting times are achieved primarily through starting on construction works before the BTO projects are launched for sale.
HDB will launch around 55,000 BTO flats from 2025 to 2027. This year, HDB will launch around 4,500 SWT flats. SWT flats, with wait times of less than three years, allow families like Amirulazhari and Nadia to move into their homes quicker.
"It's a blessing to get a house; to have a proper home for my wife and kids to grow as a family," Amirulazhari remarked. A humble, growing abode
The pair acknowledged that, being in their early twenties, they were relatively young homeowners, and peers their age might put off applying for fear of not having the financial means to do so.
"There's a lot of help from the government that young couples may not know about," said Nadia, who remarked that it was through some research that they found out about support schemes such as the PPHS.
Amirulazhari and Nadia also received an Enhanced CPF Housing Grant (EHG) of $70,000 to help finance their home, which they were hence able to finance without any cash outlay.
Additionally, the couple also took pride in their frugal habits that helped shape their new home. The unit was furnished with appliances that had prices offset using climate vouchers.
Most of the furniture and appliances, such as their kitchen cabinets and mattress, were also brought over from their PPHS flat in Sengkang, which facilitated a swift move-in.
"We were one of the first [in the block] to move in. Our neighbour was also quite shocked," said Amirulazhari, to which Nadia attributed to the couple's knack for fixing things up with a bunch of DIY projects for their new home.
Both of them are looking forward to letting the space grow alongside their family.
"Having our own home is a special place for us because this is where we make memories," said Nadia.
This article is brought to you in partnership with the Ministry of National Development.
