In October this year, HDB will be launching a new type of HDB flats - the "White HDB Flats" - to provide more choices for prospective home buyers. The term "white HDB flats" does not mean that the entire HDB block is painted white, but rather that there are no walls inside the house, and that the space is square and connected. This design is intended to provide homeowners with more flexibility in terms of decoration and space utilization.

In recent years, many HDB homeowners have been removing partition walls or replacing some of the walls with glass windows in order to make the limited space appear more spacious. According to the Ministry of National Development (MND), 23% of four-room HDB flats will have their bedroom walls removed between 2020 and 2022. Now, HDB is offering homeowners this partition wall-less design, which does sound tempting. However, before applying for a white HDB flat, homebuyers need to do more homework and consider more factors than buying a conventional HDB flat.

First, let's look at some of the obvious points to consider. According to relevant media reports, despite the spaciousness of HDB flat interiors, some respondents pointed out some potential problems:

- Without spacing, the smell of cooking fumes may spread throughout the house, affecting fabric or leather furniture such as sofas and bed sheets.

- When the air-conditioner is turned on, more electricity is needed to lower the room temperature.

- If you have children in the future, or need to take on elderly parents who need care to live with you, you may need to rebuild and renovate the walls.

These problems can be solved to some extent. For example, the use of modern cooking appliances such as gas fryers or induction cookers can reduce the amount of fumes produced. And building walls is not a complicated renovation project.

The real problem lies in the location of these white HDB flats. They will be situated at the junction of North Bridge Road and Colophon Street, near the confluence of the Sycamore Trough River and the Kallang River. The proximity of these locations to the city is theoretically very attractive, but it also means that these HDB flats will probably be sold as either Prime or Plus pre-purchase HDB flats.

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The minimum residency period for HDB flats in both Prime and Plus lots is set at 10 years. Coupled with the fact that White HDB flats are currently limited to 3-room and 4-room HDB flats, homeowners may be subject to the minimum residency requirement if they need to move to a bigger house for any reason within the 10-year period. Therefore, before deciding to apply for a White HDB flat, home buyers must have a very clear idea of their housing needs for at least the next 10 years, in addition to a good renovation budget.

It is worth noting that the White HDB Flats is still a pilot scheme, covering only 310 HDB flats. Homebuyers can choose between an open space design with no partition walls, or keep the partition walls and maintain the traditional HDB layout. This batch of white HDB flats is not without precedent. As early as 2000, HDB launched 36 "white HDB flats" in Punggol East, which had no internal partitions except for basic amenities such as windows, toilets and kitchens, allowing homeowners to plan their own space.

In response to a query from the Lianhe Zaobao, HDB said the white HDB flats to be launched in October are "very different" from the 2000 batch, including living rooms and bedrooms that will be side-by-side to form square, connected open spaces.

In 2024, Minister for National Development Lee Chi-sing announced the White HDB Flats program in his opening speech at a pre-university seminar, saying that the program was in response to demands from young Singaporeans during the Singapore Forward Together campaign for a white space in the layout of pre-purchased HDB flats to give them more flexibility in planning their home spaces. The upcoming White HDB flats will not only have a different spatial layout, but will also be located near the city, instead of Punggol East, which was initially considered "remote".

The success of HDB's reintroduction of white HDB flats will depend on whether homeowners are able to utilize the HDB space in a way that truly meets their housing needs, rather than simply replicating the layout of a typical HDB flat. It also goes back to whether homeowners have done their homework before applying. Perhaps HDB can be of more help in this regard as well.

Before applying for a white HDB flat, homebuyers need to consider their needs and future plans in detail to ensure that they can make the best use of this flexible spatial design, while budgeting and planning for the long term accordingly. White HDB flats offer a unique option for those who wish to have a flexible living space in urban areas. However, this option comes with challenges that need to be carefully evaluated and prepared for by home buyers.