Singaporean man’s BTO plans hit snag after mum refuses to leave rental flat he is tied to: ‘I'm listed as essential occupier’

SINGAPORE: A young Singaporean man has found himself caught in a housing bind after his name remained listed as an “essential occupier” of his mother’s government rental flat, complicating his plans to apply for a Build-To-Order (BTO) flat with his partner.

Sharing his predicament on Reddit’s r/askSingapore forum, he explained that his divorced mother, a permanent resident, had used his name to rent a government flat around nine years ago, when he was still a teenager.

The pair fell out shortly after moving in for reasons he did not disclose, and their relationship has since deteriorated. Although he has not lived with his mother for years, his name remains tied to the rental flat.

For the past four years, he says he's urged her to seek other housing since he intends to BTO, but she has refused to move, claims she'll go only to back out, and even threatened to harass him at his workplace if he keeps pushing.

Writing to HDB to have his name removed didn't help either. “I wrote to HDB asking if my name could be removed, but HDB said that it was not possible because I am an essential occupier and my mother is not eligible to retain the flat on her own.”

“I don’t see any options because I can‘t buy private too if my name is tied to a rental flat. I absolutely do not want to live with my mother too. Paying for her to rent elsewhere while getting a house with my partner would be too costly.”

Desperate for a way out, he asked the online community, “Would meeting an MP help with such situations? What should I tell the MP that can help my case? Can I even tell them that I have not been living at my residential address?”

‘Just go ahead and apply for it’

The post prompted several Redditors to offer possible ways forward. 

One user suggested that the man reach out to HDB again. “Perhaps you can email in to HDB to inquire on how you can terminate the rental tenancy. Not sure if the essential occupier can do that, but you can try asking. If not, you can inform HDB that you have not been living at your residential address. After all, the public rental scheme is meant for low-income families to live, so you will essentially be the whistleblower on your own mother.”

Another informed him, “You actually can BTO even if you are renting from the gov’t. The problem is you need to stop renting afterwards when you BTO. They will send you a letter to terminate the rental. Also, you can have 2 utilities bills temporarily to facilitate moving. Since every method of negotiating failed, you can just wait until the last minute to evict her.”

A third user who had been in a similar situation before said, “Hi, I have been listed as an essential occupier and have also chosen a BTO flat with my partner—just go ahead and apply for it. It's a long process, and by the time the BTO goes through (which is after a few years), you can help your mother figure it out, whether she wants to rent a room outside or whatnot. It doesn't matter; they won't force her out immediately.”

According to the Housing and Development Board’s website, those who are currently renting an HDB flat and are listed on a newly purchased flat must surrender their rental flat with vacant possession and terminate the tenancy within four months of legally completing the purchase.

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