60 Facts About HDB You Can Casually Drop to Impress Your In-Laws

Happy SG60!

More than just housing policy, HDB has long been integral to Singapore’s social fabric. After all, it’s not uncommon for couples to apply for a BTO flat long before the words “Will you marry me?” are even uttered.

So, in commemoration of SG60, we’ve put together a list of 60 facts about HDB — one for each year of the nation’s independence. Read on to see how many you knew before today!

History and overview of HDB

1. HDB was founded in 1960 as successor to the Singapore Improvement Trust (SIT), which was founded by the British colonial government in 1927, to solve Singapore’s housing crisis.

2. HDB flats actually started out as rental units, until the Home Ownership for the People Scheme began in 1964.

3. The oldest flats built by HDB are in Queenstown.

4. From 1968 to 1982, Jurong Town Corporation (JTC) helped to build a number of HDB flats in Jurong and Sembawang, as housing support for the lower-income industrial workforce.

5. The Housing Urban Development Company (HUDC) was set up in 1974 to build housing for middle-income groups.

6. HDB took over the management of JTC and HUDC flats in 1982, becoming the sole provider of public housing in Singapore.

7. Today, 80% of Singapore’s population lives in HDB flats.

8. 90% of HDB dwellers today own their flats.

9. You can DIY the sale of your HDB flat (i.e. without a property agent) — via HDB’s resale flat online listing portal that was launched on 30 May 2024.

10. Over 1 million HDB flats have been built to date.

11. There is a ‘cheat code’ to ‘extending’ your HDB lease. If your flat is part of the Selective En bloc Redevelopment Scheme (SERS), you’ll be given opportunity to move to a new home with a new 99-year lease, plus rehousing benefits

HDB estates

12. Some of the older flats in Tiong Bahru are heritage-listed.

13. HDB flats in Marine Parade were built on reclaimed land.

14. Some estates are named after the areas’ original kampungs or landmarks. For example, Yishun was formerly Nee Soon, while Hougang is a derivative of Au-gang, which means “back of the river”.

15. There was once a small HDB estate in Lim Chu Kang called Neo Tiew (named after the man who helped to clear the area’s forestry). It is now a restricted area used as a military training ground.

HDB town planning

16. Toa Payoh is Singapore’s first fully planned new town.

17. Hougang is Singapore’s largest town, based on land area.

18. Punggol is Singapore’s first “Eco-Town”.

19. Punggol is the first estate to have curved balconies, as part of its “Waterfront Living” design theme.

20. Tengah is set to be Singapore’s “Forest Town” with smart, sustainable features.

21. New towns are planned to be car-lite and greener.

22. Tengah will have an underground road network to free up surface space for pedestrians.

23. Jurong West is the only town built across all 6 decades of HDB: Taman Jurong in 1960s, Boon Lay Gardens in 1970s, main Jurong Town in 1980s, Nanyang in 1988-1998, Pioneer in 1998-2003, and new BTOs still under construction today!

24. There is a logic to how unit numbers are given. They follow a clockwise direction within the block layout. Additionally, odd numbers (e.g. #12-05) are given to units/blocks on the left side of the road, while even numbers (e.g. #12-06) are given to units/blocks on the right side of the road.

25. Our current HDB unit numbering system (e.g. #12-01) may seem intuitive to us, but it was only introduced in 1983.

Prior to this, units were named according to block, unit and level (by alphabetical order). For example, the first ground floor unit in Block 1 = 101A , while the unit above it on the second level = 101B, and so forth.

HDB unit types and interiors

26. Bomb shelters became mandatory in 1988.

27. Executive Maisonettes and Executive Apartments ceased production in 1995.

28. Jumbo flats were created by combining adjacent 3- and 4-room units, in response to oversupply in 1989. There are only approximately 2,900 such units available.

29. While most of us are used to 2 bathrooms in our HDB flats, some flats have 3 bathrooms. These include Jumbo flats, Executive Maisonettes and current 3Gen BTO flats.

30. 5-room flats built by JTC have 2 entrances: one in the living room, another in the kitchen.

Balloting for an HDB flat

31. Balloting used to be done live and manually at a balloting ceremony. Grassroot leaders would draw from two bowls — applicant registration numbers and unit numbers — and match them together.

32. Before the BTO system came about in 2001, all it took was one try to get your flat — guaranteed.

However, you would have entered the queue for a general zone (e.g. Northeast) and flat type (e.g. 4-room), but would not know the specific estate, completion date or price until you were invited to select the flat.

33. Today, most of us have to wait years for our BTO flats to be complete. But in 1999 (following the Asian Financial Crisis), there was an oversupply of 31,000 new and unsold HDB flats waiting to be purchased.

As a result, HDB started the BTO system, where construction only begins after 70% of flats have been purchased.

34. The first BTO flats were built in Sengkang and Sembawang.

Construction of HDB flats

35. Since the 1980s, majority of HDB flats have been made of modular parts using pre-cast technology.

36. Pre-casting improves productivity by ~30%.

37. There are currently 21 pre-cast plants in Singapore that supply to HDB, producing walls, toilets and bomb shelters.

38. Because storage of pre-casted components requires a lot of space, HDB also works with pre-cast suppliers outside of Singapore.

39. Once pre-cast modules are brought on-site, they are lifted to the right position via tower cranes, like how you’d stack Lego blocks to form a structure.

40. HDB has SEA’s largest 3D printer. It’s currently being used to build concrete landscaping components like benches in common areas, and more research is needed before it can be used on a larger scale.

Living in HDB flats

41. As an owner, you can purchase private property (with ABSD) after buying an HDB flat and fulfilling the Minimum Occupation Period (MOP), but not the other way around.

42. Flat owners are responsible for common corridor cleanliness outside their units.

However, you can call your Town Council if the corridor outside your neighbours’ units are cluttered/obstructed.

43. Owners of Prime and Plus flats are not allowed to rent out the entire flat even after fulfilling their 10-year MOP.

44. Need a place to stay while waiting for your BTO’s completion? You can rent an interim flat from HDB under the Parenthood Provisional Housing Scheme (PPHS).

45. Under the pilot Single Room Shared Facilities (SRSF), you can rent a single room from HDB. Toilets, kitchens and laundry rooms would be shared with other tenants. This is currently offered at the former Anderson Junior College hostel.

Other HDB trivia

46. Queen Elizabeth II visited several Toa Payoh HDB flat units (and interacted with the owners) during her 1972 state visit.

47. The largest HDB block still standing is at Cassia Crescent, with 588 units.

48. The smallest HDB block ever built is in Bedok, with only 2 Executive Apartment units in the entire block.

49. The tallest HDB development built is Pinnacle @ Duxton, reaching a whopping 52 storeys.

50. The longest HDB corridor is 400m long, located at 121 Paya Lebar Way.

51. The most expensive resale HDB transaction to date was for a 5-room flat at Dawson, at a staggering $1.73 million.

52. Some HDB blocks have condo-like security gates that require a keyfob to enter.

53. There are approximately 285 landed HDB units still standing today, with 200 of them located in Whampoa.

54. Toa Payoh is home to a famous Dragon Playground, but there are in fact 3 more remaining in Ang Mo Kio, Braddell and Macpherson respectively.

55. There was once a Dove Playground (by the same designer!) at Dakota Crescent, but it was demolished together with the rest of the estate to make way for prime area development.

56. Bishan, Bidadari and even Tiong Bahru were built on former cemetery grounds.

57. Due to its placement, Block 78 in Tiong Bahru has 3 different addresses (78 Moh Guan Terrace, 78 Yong Siak Street and 78 Guan Chuan Street).

58. Blocks at Tampines Street 45 featured in the hit television series Don’t Worry, Be Happy. Bringing back memories from the 90s, anyone?

59. There is a diamond-shaped HDB estate in Taman Jurong (comprising 4 blocks of flats combined to form a ‘diamond’) that was built in the 1970s. While the flat is still standing, it’s currently unoccupied.

60. The term “void deck” is a uniquely Singaporean term. It was first coined by local newspapers in the 1970s.

Got other interesting facts about HDB to share? Let us know in the comments below! 👇