A woman in Singapore has been waiting for about two months for her HDB flat eligibility (HFE) letter.

She applied for her letter on May 23. However, as of Jul. 24, the woman was still waiting.

Speaking to Mothership, the woman, who only wanted to be identified as Lee, said that her HFE application was for a resale flat.

The HDB email sent in response to her application said that it would take 21 working days to process.

It also highlighted "peak periods" during which the processing time could be longer, such as the period during and prior to a sales launch.

Unable to get through to HDB when she called for updates on Jun. 26

Lee alleged that when she called HDB's Sales/ Resale Customer Service Line on Jun. 26 to ask about her HFE application, she was unable to get through because her calls were cancelled.

This was despite calling consecutively during their opening hours, she added.

When her call connected on Jun. 27, Lee claimed she was told by HDB that all of the necessary documents had been collected and reviewed, and that the only matter left pending was an "approval by the high-ups" for the size of the loan which can be granted to them.

Told in July that her application was still processing

When she did not receive any further updates by Jul. 13, she contacted HDB again via a feedback form on its website.

On Jul. 20, she received a reply from HDB, saying that they werelooking into her email and required more time to respond to her.

Subsequently on Jul. 21, she received another email which said her application was receiving attention and added that HDB was currently experiencing high volumes of HFE applications.

HDB said in that email that her request to expedite her application had been noted.

System glitches occurred during May sales launch

It turned out that a high volume of HFE letter applications wasn't the only thing that was causing delays.

Lee found out from a Telegram group that others had experienced system glitches during the May 2023 Sale of Balance Flats (SBF) exercise, which caused resources to be diverted from HFE letter applications.

Buyers received an email from HDB informing them that as a result of the glitches, HDB needed "more time to check all the flat applications received and conduct the computer ballot".

Subsequently, SBF applicants would only be informed of their balloted queue position in the last week of August 2023 instead of the last week of July 2023.

In response to Mothership's queries, HDB replied:

"Some applicants for the May 2023 sales launch may have experienced longer processing times for their HFE letter applications.

This was due to system glitches and resources being deployed to resolve these technical issues.

We would like to assure applicants of the May 2023 sales launch that HFE letter approvals, where applicable, will be granted before their flat booking appointment, and their flat applications will not be affected."

HDB also added that from Jul. 20, it has been progressively informing HFE applicants about the longer time required to process their applications.

With regard to the processing time, HDB said:

"The processing time for HFE applications is up to 21 working days from the receipt of all required information and supporting documents for the application of the HFE letter. This processing time applies to HFE letter applications for both new and resale flat purchases.

This is similar to the current resale application process, where resale flat buyers and sellers will receive HDB’s acceptance of the application in about 28 working days, upon the submission of a complete set of supporting documents.

Notwithstanding this, the processing time is expected to be longer during peak periods, such as in the months of and before a sales launch, in view of the higher volume of applications received."

What exactly is the HFE?

Related story