According to Minister of State for National Development, the most common reasons given by HDB applicants for giving up the opportunity to choose a flat include: their preferred flat has already been purchased by someone else, or they have decided to buy a resale HDB flat, or they have temporarily changed their mind and want to apply for other HDB projects.

Responding to queries from MPs in Parliament, Faisal said that from August this year, first-time applicants for the pre-purchase HDB project who pass up the opportunity to buy will be considered as second-time buyers for the following year.

However, in order to be fair to those applicants with limited choices, the HDB will not treat them as abstainers if they have only 10 flats left to choose from in the pre-emption programme or if they have less than five flats left to choose from.

However, Faisal stressed that the authority will exercise discretion if the applicants who have given up their right to choose are in special circumstances.