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PARLIAMENT
Indranee Rajah backtracks on claim divorcing applicants face no HDB rental hurdles
Minister Indranee Rajah, initially adamant that HDB allows divorcing couples to apply for rental flats before finalising their divorce, was forced to backtrack after Pritam Singh produced a 2024 HDB letter contradicting her statement. The letter revealed stricter requirements, exposing inconsistencies in her claims.
Published
1 hour ago
on
6 February 2025
By
The Online Citizen
An exchange in Parliament on 5 February 2025 saw Minister Indranee Rajah retracting her confident dismissal of Workers’ Party (WP) MP Faisal Manap’s concerns about HDB’s public rental flat policies for divorcing couples.
Initially adamant that such applicants faced no significant obstacles, Indranee was forced to admit inconsistencies after WP leader Pritam Singh presented official correspondence contradicting her statements.
The exchange took place during a debate on a motion tabled by PAP MPs Hany Soh and Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim calling for policy reviews to support families and strengthen Singaporeans’ marriage and parenthood aspirations.
Indranee dismisses Faisal’s concerns
Faisal Manap, MP for Aljunied GRC, highlighted a recurring issue faced by divorcing couples who must sell their matrimonial homes under court orders but struggle to secure rental housing before finalising their divorce.
Many such applicants, he said, are turned away by HDB, which requires them to complete the divorce process first. He suggested introducing a more comprehensive assessment system involving social agencies to evaluate applicants’ hardship levels and grant provisional approvals when necessary.
However, Indranee, speaking with confidence during her reply to the speeches by the various MPs, insisted Faisal was mistaken.
“Perhaps Mr Faisal is unaware,” she said, before asserting that HDB already allows individuals undergoing divorce proceedings to apply for rental flats before an interim or final judgment is obtained.
She referred to a 2020 parliamentary reply as evidence and claimed that the current system worked on a case-by-case basis to help those in need.
She further added that there was no need for a new scheme, as existing policies were sufficient to address applicants’ concerns.
Pritam Singh exposes key contradiction
Faisal expressed doubts, pointing out that his experience handling cases during Meet-the-People Sessions showed otherwise. He noted that many applicants receive letters from HDB stating that they must produce a divorce certificate or interim judgment before their applications can be processed.
The turning point came when Pritam Singh stood to confront Indranee directly.
Producing a letter from HDB dated 1 May 2024, Pritam highlighted its explicit statement that HDB would not consider rental applications from individuals who had not obtained either a deed of separation or finalised their divorce.
The letter further mentioned that HDB required information on the distribution of matrimonial assets and child custody arrangements before processing applications.
Reading from the letter, Pritam said, “It states that applicants who are still legally married are considered a single legal entity, and HDB cannot process the application unless certain conditions, including a deed of separation, are met. This directly contradicts the Minister’s claim.”
Pritam clarified that the letter specifically concerned a rental flat application, not a flat purchase, leaving little room for Indranee’s earlier distinction between the two types of housing.
Indranee forced to backtrack
Caught off guard, Indranee scrambled to explain the discrepancy. She acknowledged that HDB’s case-by-case approach might have caused confusion and offered to review the agency’s procedures to ensure greater clarity.
“Perhaps what I can do is see whether HDB’s procedures can be more facilitative, especially for those unfamiliar with legal requirements,” she said.
She attempted to downplay the contradiction, suggesting that the mention of a deed of separation in HDB’s letter could provide a workaround.
However, her response fell short of addressing the fundamental inconsistency between her earlier statements and the reality documented in the HDB letter.
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An exchange in Parliament on 5 February 2025 saw Minister Indranee Rajah retracting her confident dismissal of Workers’ Party (WP) MP Faisal Manap’s concerns about HDB’s public rental flat policies for divorcing couples.
Initially adamant that such applicants faced no significant obstacles, Indranee was forced to admit inconsistencies after WP leader Pritam Singh presented official correspondence contradicting her statements.
The exchange took place during a debate on a motion tabled by PAP MPs Hany Soh and Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim calling for policy reviews to support families and strengthen Singaporeans’ marriage and parenthood aspirations.
Indranee dismisses Faisal’s concerns
Faisal Manap, MP for Aljunied GRC, highlighted a recurring issue faced by divorcing couples who must sell their matrimonial homes under court orders but struggle to secure rental housing before finalising their divorce.
Many such applicants, he said, are turned away by HDB, which requires them to complete the divorce process first. He suggested introducing a more comprehensive assessment system involving social agencies to evaluate applicants’ hardship levels and grant provisional approvals when necessary.
However, Indranee, speaking with confidence during her reply to the speeches by the various MPs, insisted Faisal was mistaken.
“Perhaps Mr Faisal is unaware,” she said, before asserting that HDB already allows individuals undergoing divorce proceedings to apply for rental flats before an interim or final judgment is obtained.
She referred to a 2020 parliamentary reply as evidence and claimed that the current system worked on a case-by-case basis to help those in need.
She further added that there was no need for a new scheme, as existing policies were sufficient to address applicants’ concerns.
Pritam Singh exposes key contradiction
Faisal expressed doubts, pointing out that his experience handling cases during Meet-the-People Sessions showed otherwise. He noted that many applicants receive letters from HDB stating that they must produce a divorce certificate or interim judgment before their applications can be processed.
The turning point came when Pritam Singh stood to confront Indranee directly.
Producing a letter from HDB dated 1 May 2024, Pritam highlighted its explicit statement that HDB would not consider rental applications from individuals who had not obtained either a deed of separation or finalised their divorce.
The letter further mentioned that HDB required information on the distribution of matrimonial assets and child custody arrangements before processing applications.
Reading from the letter, Pritam said, “It states that applicants who are still legally married are considered a single legal entity, and HDB cannot process the application unless certain conditions, including a deed of separation, are met. This directly contradicts the Minister’s claim.”
Pritam clarified that the letter specifically concerned a rental flat application, not a flat purchase, leaving little room for Indranee’s earlier distinction between the two types of housing.
Indranee forced to backtrack
Caught off guard, Indranee scrambled to explain the discrepancy. She acknowledged that HDB’s case-by-case approach might have caused confusion and offered to review the agency’s procedures to ensure greater clarity.
“Perhaps what I can do is see whether HDB’s procedures can be more facilitative, especially for those unfamiliar with legal requirements,” she said.
She attempted to downplay the contradiction, suggesting that the mention of a deed of separation in HDB’s letter could provide a workaround.
However, her response fell short of addressing the fundamental inconsistency between her earlier statements and the reality documented in the HDB letter.
