HDB launches largest-ever SBF exercise with 5,590 flats, BTOs in Kallang, Queenstown & more

The February Build-to-Order (BTO) and Sale of Balance Flats (SBF) exercises have been announced, and they're exciting ones.

On Feb. 10, HDB launched 10,622 flats under both exercises.

This includes Singapore's largest SBF exercise to date, with 5,590 SBF units.

HDB also launched another 5,032 BTO flats across five projects.

The BTO flats are located in Kallang/Whampoa, Queenstown, Yishun, and Woodlands, and some have shorter waiting times of as little as 37 months (just over three years), HDB said.

Largest SBF exercise

The SBF flats cost between S$75,000 for a community care apartment with a 30-year lease, to S$605,000 and above for an executive flat.

SBF flats that were launched before the October 2024 BTO exercise will not be affected by the new flat classification framework, which differentiates flats into three different groups: Standard, Plus, and Prime.

Like BTO flats, SBF flats are heavily subsidised and priced lower than resale flats, HDB said.

The exercise will include community care apartments, two-room flexi flats, three-room flats, four-room flats, five-room flats, 3Gen flats, and executive  flats.

Four in 10 flats in the SBF exercise have already been completed, which makes them an option worth considering for buyers looking to move into their flats sooner, HDB said.

BTO exercises

Among the flats launched under the BTO exercise, eight out of 10 have waiting times of four years or less.

In particular, 1,531 flats in Yishun have even shorter waiting times of just over three years.

Both Yishun projects and a third project in Woodlands North Verge, the first project to be launched in the new Woodlands North Coast precinct, will be classified as "Standard" flats.

The remaining two projects comprise a "Plus" project in Queenstown and a "Prime" project in Kallang/Whampoa.

Excluding grants, a three-room flat starts from S$275,000 in Woodlands, S$245,000 in Yishun, S$399,000 in Kallang/Whampoa, and S$408,000 in Queenstown.

The Queenstown and Kallang projects do not have five-room flats.

Fewer queue numbers

Flat applications can be made online from Feb. 10 to Feb. 17 via the HDB Flat Portal.

Applicants who need further assistance may contact the customer service line at 1800-866-3066.

Additionally, in a bid to streamline the flat application process, HDB will shortlist fewer flat applicants starting from this sales exercise.

From the previous 300 per cent of the total flat supply, HDB will now only shortlist applicants for up to 200 per cent.

This means that fewer queue numbers will be given out.

This comes as the proportion of BTO flat applicants who did not book a flat when invited to do so halved from 40 per cent to about 19 per cent, following the tightening of the non-selection rules in October 2023.

By streamlining the process, HDB hopes to improve efficiency and provide applicants with greater certainty, it said.

Next BTO exercise in July

The next sales exercise will be held in July 2025, with about 5,400 flats launched in Bukit Merah, Bukit Panjang, Clementi, Sembawang, Tampines, Toa Payoh, and Woodlands.

Flat buyers should submit all required documents by Jun. 15 in order to participate in the July sales exercise.

Top image from Canva