HDB launched 3,995 for sale under the February 2015 built-to-order (BTO) exercise. The new flats in the exercise comprise studio apartments, two- to five-room flats, as well as three-generation flats, spread across the non-mature towns of Bukit Batok and Buangkok, as well as the mature estate of Geylang.

From 2015, flat applicants who intend to take an HDB housing loan will need to produce a valid HDB Loan Eligibility (HLE) letter at the point of booking a flat, instead of during the signing of the lease agreement, which is usually four months after booking a flat.

This article appeared in the City & Country of Issue 665 (Feb 23) of The Edge Singapore.