Owners of pandemic-delayed Build-to-Order (BTO) projects can expect their homes to be completed by February 2025.

In a statement released on Sep. 2, HDB announced that 87 (or 94 per cent) of all pandemic-delayed housing projects have been completed from October 2020 to August 2024.

The remaining projects will be completed within the coming six months.

Signs of recovery

According to HDB, the waiting time for BTO flats completed this year ranged from three to five years due to disruptions caused by the pandemic.

The delays affected all but one project.

Of the completed projects this year, Alkaff Breeze at Bidadari estate is the first HDB housing project to be completed without any delay.

Since the implementation of Circuit Breaker in 2020, only two projects — Keat Hong Verge and Alkaff Breeze — have been completed on time.

Keat Hong Verge was completed in 2023, the first without any delays.

With the completion of Alkaff Breeze, all flats in Bidadari’s Alkaff District have been completed.

The completion of BTO projects on time is a positive sign, signalling a “steady recovery in the construction industry following the Covid-19 pandemic”, stated HDB.

Minister for National Development Desmond Lee acknowledged the long waiting time for the delayed flats and the "inconvenience" this has brought to home owners, noting that the delays "disrupted many of their life plans"

“Our HDB colleagues, consultants and contractors worked closely over the past few years to catch up on lost time to complete these delayed BTO projects", he said.

"We thank flat buyers for their understanding and patience through this period."

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Top photo courtesy of HDB