The changes will be the fourth round of property cooling measures since December 2021.The maximum loan that home buyers can take from the Housing Board to purchase their flats will be tightened from Aug 20, in a move to cool the HDB resale market.
The loan-to-value limit for HDB housing loans will be lowered from 80 per cent to 75 per cent. This means that buyers will be allowed to borrow less than before – up to 75 per cent of the flat value compared with 80 per cent before. He had also announced that the EHG would be raised to help first-time home buyers – especially those from lower-income groups.
It pointed out that HDB resale prices grew by 4.9 per cent in 2023, down significantly from 10.4 per cent in 2022. HDB loan limits were last lowered in September 2022 from 85 per cent to 80 per cent, as part of several property cooling measures announced then. These would include the revised EHG of up to $60,000, a CPF Housing Grant of up to $40,000 and a PHG of up to $15,000.