HDB Housing Board Ethnic Policy

The HDB Housing Board in Singapore works closely with the government in developing policies and programs that promote racial harmony in the country. It is an agency of the government and works under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development (MHD). The HDB was formed in 1965 with the merger of the three main public housing agencies of the Singapore. Today, it is one of the largest Multi Family Dwelling Management Companies in the world.

Under the HDB policy, a multi-racial or an ethnic community has equal opportunity to own properties. They have the same rights as other citizens of Singapore. HDB categorizes the various nationalities in Singapore into separate categories, for example Chinese, Malay, Eurasian and Indians. The policies and programs under the HDB also aim at providing better opportunities to immigrants in all areas of the country. HDB also works to maintain the racial and communal harmony in the country.

The HDB provides for the registration of foreign residents and also facilitates their naturalization. They provide special incentives to migrate to areas where majority population is native. HDB enlists the services of private organizations in the promotion of community goodwill and development. Some of these are charitable organizations, academic institutions and local businesses.

Through the HDB, you can be categorized into different races. You can be categorized into two: the first is theuntary and the second is involuntary. If you are an immigrant, you would need to go through the voluntary migration category while if you are a citizen, you can go through the involuntary race category.

Under the HDB policy, there are several types of communities. These are the Chinese community, Malay community and Indian community. Through the policy, you will not be forced to become a member of any community. If you want to join any community, then you can apply. But if you want to integrate and belong to the Chinese ethnic group, then you can do so.

Housing Developments and Property Management are one of the departments in the HDB that provides a lot of assistance to the first time home buyers and investors. The HDB also organizes property seminars and conducts property fairs. They conduct various seminars for promoting the integration and assimilation of the local people to the multi-racial society. The seminars help the potential buyers and investors understand the policies of the HDB. Once the policy is understood, the investor can buy properties in the HDB and later sell it for a higher price.

HDB develops a number of properties for the foreign investors and eventually gets foreign investors. Foreigners can buy properties in the HDB through a Special Purchase Account. This is a special account that is open at a specific rate from the HDB. When the account holder makes a purchase, he would have to pay an upfront amount and later he would get a rebate on the rent that he receives.

HDB takes care of all the rental issues and they even negotiate with the landlords. If a property owner finds the rental rate unfair, then the HDB tries to solve the issue by fair rent negotiations. HDB provides all the assistance to its tenants. There are many HDB flats that are under the rent review waiting for tenants. Whenever an applicant applies for a rent revision, the application is checked and the rent paid, if it is found that the rent is being paid according to the approved rate. The tenants can contact the HDB directly by phone hotline numbers.

HDB maintains all the records. They keep the registers of the deeds of the flats that are registered under their name. If a property is sold out from under the Board, HDB has the power to auction the property. As soon as the auction is over, the Board finds out the new owner and deals with him.

Under the HDB policy, there is a diversification policy that ensures that the interests of the local residents are being protected. Under the policy, HDB tries to maintain the standard of living for the local residents. As the HDB policies are based on the welfare of the local people, only if the resident gets a decent living standard, he can apply for the HDB policy. The tenants are assured of all the rights and advantages.

When you apply for a HDB apartment, you are supposed to go to the Board office, fill up the application form and return it along with the payment of the prescribed form. The forms are available online and the application process can be completed in an hour’s time. All the applications are then reviewed and sanctioned immediately after being reviewed. HDB has set rules and regulations to ensure that the tenants are not affected in any way.