In a social media post on Facebook, Lee said he had been approached by members of the public with queries on the issue.

He reiterated that pre-purchase buyers must have lived in their HDB flats for a minimum period of time. If homeowners are unable to meet this requirement, their HDB flats will have to be returned to HDB, which will then offer the flats for sale again under the surplus HDB sales programme for other applicants.

Non-compliant owners will be investigated by HDB.

The Minister said that members of the public who suspect abuse of the pre-purchase of HDB flats can call the hotline 1800-555-6370 to report to the HDB.

Earlier, it was reported in the media that an advertisement for a pre-purchased HDB flat for sale in Yishun, which was completed in 2014, had recently appeared on property website PropertyGuru.

The flat was completely unfurnished, or commonly known as a rough home, and was offered at $690,000.

However, after the news broke, the advertisement was removed from the website.