GE2025: From jobs to housing, where does each party stand on bread-and-butter issues?

People’s Action Party– Construct over 50,000 new HDB flats over the next three years and increase Shorter Waiting Time flats
– Explore more public housing options for higher-income couples and singles
– Foster a stable and sustainable property market through decisive actions when needed
– Plan for the rejuvenation of HDB towns, including through the Voluntary Early Redevelopment Scheme (VERS).
– Keep flats in choice locations within reach of more applicants through the HDB Classification Framework – Standard, Plus, and Prime BTO flatsWorkers’ Party– Set BTO prices for first-time buyers based on a house price-to-income ratio of about 3.0 after grants
– Offer lower-priced 70-year lease BTO flats with an option to top up to 99 years later
– Introduce a universal HDB Buy-Back Scheme and make the government the buyer of last resort for ageing HDB flats to stabilise values and address lease decay
– Increase the stock and variety of public rental flats to suit different household needs
– Enhance transparency in how land prices for BTO flats are determined
– Allow single Singaporeans to apply for BTO flats from the age of 28 instead of 35
– Review the Ethnic Integration Policy and move towards a race-neutral housing system by phasing out block-level quotas while maintaining neighbourhood diversityProgress Singapore Party– Implement the Affordable Homes Scheme (AHS) and replace the current BTO system. Flats will be sold at a “user price” based on construction cost plus location premium, without upfront land cost
– Defer land cost payment until the flat is sold on the resale market
– Allow singles aged 28 and above to purchase 2- and 3-room BTO flats and permit singles to buy resale flats of any type in all estates
– Construct more flats in anticipation of forecasted demand to reduce waiting times
– Introduce the Millennial Apartments Scheme and provide affordable, high-quality rental apartments in the CBD and mature estates for young singles and couples on leases of two to five years
– Continue to press the Government for details on the Voluntary Early Redevelopment SchemeNational Solidarity Party– Ensure citizens have access to their first home with lifetime affordability assurance by pegging BTO prices to construction cost plus land acquisition cost, not market valuation
– Enforce resale price stabilisers to prevent BTO-to-private profit-flipping cycles and introduce a progressive property tax on multiple property holdings
– Establish cooperatives to tackle ageing and single-person household isolation
– Expand affordable rental flats for lower-middle-income citizens and young adults
– Guarantee options for seniors in ageing flats through Lease Conversion or Extension Schemes without forced relocation
– Demand full transparency in HDB land valuation mechanisms and audit pricing formulas
– Shorten waiting time for new BTO flats to 2.5 years or less.Singapore Democratic Alliance– Substantially increase new HDB flat supply, build ahead of demand, offer bare-bones options to lower costs, and provide rental for excess units as temporary homes for singles/young couples
– Peg new flat price increases to median wage growth (rather than to market rates) and offer extra subsidies for below-median-income buyersRed Dot United– Ensure every HDB estate is eligible for Selective En Bloc Redevelopment Scheme (SERS) so older flats retain value and are renewed instead of being left to decay
– Manage HDB price growth at 3 to 5% annually through calibrated land valuation, housing supply adjustments, and market intervention to keep public housing affordable
– Increase fit-for-purpose public rental flats, especially for the bottom 20% of income earners and young, single Singaporeans, and provide a structured pathway to homeownership through a rent-to-own model
– Restrict new citizens and permanent residents from purchasing resale flats with less than 79 years of lease remaining, except those with at least 10 years of citizenship/PR or who have completed NSPeople’s Alliance for Reform– Develop new HDB flats to meet growing demand and provide better grants and financing options for first-time buyers
– Prioritise eco-friendly housing projects and community spacesSingapore People’s Party– Allow singles to apply for BTO or resale HDB flats from the age of 30
– Apply the Selective En Bloc Redevelopment Scheme (SERS) to all estates nearing lease expiry to preserve HDB asset value
– Launch a five-year pilot to relax ethnic quotas in HDB estates, enabling minority flat owners to sell at fair market value
– Provide additional housing grants for parents with a second child to help them upgrade to a larger HDB/BTO flat
– Permit families with a third child to purchase private property without ABSD or upgrade HDB/BTO with a higher grantSingapore United Party– Propose a price ceiling on resale HDB flats instead of allowing the free flow of market forces to dictate the price
– Support residents in upgrading or downgrading their HDB units to better suit changing lifestyles and family needsSingapore Democratic Party– Sell new HDB flats at prices based only on construction and administration costs, excluding land cost, with strict resale restrictions (sell back to HDB only)
– Maintain a buffer stock of HDB flats to ensure minimal waiting times for buyers
– Grant balloting priority to first-timer families with children or expectant couples for Balance Flats or new BTO flats in non-mature estates
– Adapt and improve CPF Housing Grants for first-timer low-income households to help with 2-room and 3-room flat purchases
– Allow single-parent families and low-income households to rent flats for two years at a time, without frequent reviews
– Improve the Lease Buy-Back Scheme to better support needy senior citizens for a secure retirementPeople’s Power Party– Allow CPF funds to be used only for the purchase of a second property, preserving more CPF savings for retirement and increasing disposable income for first-home mortgage payments
– Provide affordable 2.5-room HDB BTO flats for young couples under 30, sold at low prices without including land cost at market rate, to encourage early marriage and family formation
– Construct HDB flats in advance to address supply lags and reduce waiting times under the current BTO system
– Grant top priority to young couples (under 30) in the Sales of Balance Flats exercise, and further prioritise young couples below 30 and those who have served National Service in new flat selection exercises
– Peg the affordability of new HDB flats to the median starting salaries of young graduates or flat applicants under 30, ensuring flats are within reach of young Singaporeans
– Impose a 20% capital gains tax on foreign (including PR) property sellers, and levy ABSD and capital gains tax on Singaporeans from their third property purchase onward, to stabilise prices and reduce speculationIndependent (Darryl Lo)– Allow singles to purchase public housing as early as 21 years old, instead of the current age limit of 35 and remove restrictions so that singles are not limited to only 2-room flats
– 10% of new HDB flats in each release should be set aside specifically for singles, while the remaining 90% are for married couples
– Implement regulations to prevent abuse of the singles housing policy for profitIndependent (Jeremy Tan)– Remove all land costs from HDB pricing, and HDB will have the first right to purchase any flat listed for sale up to 90 days.
– Cap the eligible purchase price of HDB BTOs to 4 times of annual income
– Net 1.5M HDB flats by 2040, tear down flats that have reached 100 years
– Set aside up to 10 to 15% of HDB for low-cost long-term rental
– Implement MOP at 15 years with grants and MOP waiver for families with three or more children