According to the academics interviewed, this will better cater for those with urgent housing needs to settle down and provide more targeted assistance.

32-year-old Yuwen Chen and his wife have a 20-month-old son. They first tried to apply for a HDB flat in November last year, but did not even get a number. The family now lives with his in-laws in the Bukit Baume area.

He will apply again after August as the government announces a new priority group.

First-time home buyer Tan Yu Man said: "Of course it's good, because it's just that we have kids and all that, and we're just more anxious to find our own house, and then the chances are better. There is no intention to buy a car for these, so location is important, to be close to the MRT."

Interviewees pointed out that the creation of a new priority group for first-time buyers in the parent and couple categories, and the restructuring of the existing Childcare Priority Scheme into a Family and Childcare Priority Scheme, are complementary initiatives.

The key is to help those who need help, and how to define those who are in urgent need of housing," said Chim Boon Lan, Director of the NUS Institute of Real Estate and Urban Studies and Wong Ting Fong Chair Professor at the NUS Business School. So I think these three criteria are a reasonable way to find out how to best capture the characteristics of these people who have an urgent need for housing."

The government has also tightened up the measure whereby pre-purchase HDB applicants are invited to give up their applications when they are invited to select a flat. Scholars believe the aim is to make all applicants think deeply about their applications.

Qian Wenlan said, "They may be more careful in the selection process, and at the same time, it will also solve the problem that other people who may have more urgent housing needs may lose the right to select HDB flats that they could have got."