Reasons for 'worrisome' rising trend include debt, divorce and illness
By Yeo Sam Jo, The Straits Times, 23 Mar 2015
By Yeo Sam Jo, The Straits Times, 23 Mar 2015
But the sudden halt in income made paying the monthly mortgage for his three-room flat in Serangoon a struggle.
In 2009, after racking up a mortgage debt of $18,000, he was forced to sell his flat back to the Housing Board. He then moved into a two-room rental flat in Toa Payoh with his wife and two daughters.
Like him, almost six in 10 public rental flat applicants today are former home owners who had sold their flats.
This is up from 52 per cent five years ago, said Minister of State for National Development Maliki Osman earlier this month, describing it as a "worrisome trend".
Cases like Mr Gurmit's, where unforeseen circumstances such as illness or retrenchment lead to mortgage trouble, are not uncommon, MPs, social workers and tenants told The Straits Times.
Debt
SOME home owners sell their flats to pay off debts incurred from failed businesses or gambling. And there is usually not enough money left to buy even a smaller unit.
"For many of them, selling their flat is the only way to settle the debt," said Mountbatten MP Lim Biow Chuan.
Part-time dishwasher Ng Mui Keng, 62, used to live in a four-room flat in Joo Seng with her four sons for 10 years.
But when one son owed moneylenders a huge sum, the concerned mother decided to sell the flat and withdraw another $6,000 from her Central Provident Fund savings to help him.
Together with two of her sons and two granddaughters, they rented a place in Mountbatten on the open market for 11/2 years, and eventually moved into a two-room Toa Payoh rental flat in January.
"It's a headache, we had no choice," said Madam Ng, in Mandarin.
"We are just taking it day by day now."
Divorce
DIVORCED couples often sell their flats to split their matrimonial assets, and there is a debarment period of three years before they can buy another subsidised flat.
But the proceeds are sometimes not enough for divorcees, especially those with children or low-paying jobs, to buy another unit, said Mrs Lilian Seah, 38, principal social worker with Fei Yue Family Service Centre.
Even if divorcees keep the flat, they often have to sell it off later.
"Very often, the wife is not working or earning a lower wage, and she can't afford the mortgage alone," said Chua Chu Kang GRC MP Zaqy Mohamad.
Senior social worker with Heyday Success Coaching, Mr Alvin Chen, 33, came across a father in his 40s who sold his flat after a divorce, and had custody of his seven school-going children.
"It was a large family with a low per capita income," said Mr Chen, adding that the sale proceeds were insufficient to buy another unit.
"A rental flat was the most cost-effective way in the short run."
Family conflict
SOME elderly couples sell their flats to move in with their children, or sell their flats to their children, only to fall out with them later, said Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC MP Zainal Sapari.
Added Mr Lim, who has also seen a few of such cases: "When things turn sour, they're stuck without a flat."
Madam Fion Phua, 45, founder of volunteer group Keeping Hope Alive, met a woman in her 80s who lives in a one-room rental flat in Toa Payoh.
She was kicked out from her three-room flat in Yishun, after her son and daughter-in-law insisted on selling the unit which her late husband had left them.
"She said her daughter-in-law doesn't like her. Her son doesn't visit her any more," said Madam Phua. "At her age, she cannot borrow money to buy another flat."
Imprudent spending
THERE are also home owners who get carried away with the proceeds after selling their flats.
"Many have not seen so much money before, they think it's a bottomless pit," said Mr Zainal.
Dr Lily Neo, MP for Tanjong Pagar GRC, cited a family who sold their three-room flat last year and received about $60,000 in cash proceeds.
But the couple and their two daughters exhausted the money in less than a year and had to apply for a rental flat.
But the couple and their two daughters exhausted the money in less than a year and had to apply for a rental flat.
"They spent about $10,000 for their daughter's orthodontic and plastic surgery," said Dr Neo.
Mr Zaqy mentioned a family who went on vacations and stayed in hotels in Singapore after getting more than $100,000 from selling their flat.
"By the time they came to me (three years ago), they were living in a van," he recalled.
Madam Norwati Taip, 46, sold her four-room Whampoa flat in 2010 to downgrade to a new three-room flat.
But while waiting for her keys, she spent most of the $126,000 in sale proceeds, paying overdue phone bills, medical bills and renting a car and condominium in Malaysia for two years.
Such spending meant she could not afford the resale levy for her new flat. Instead, she had to move into a two-room rental flat in Jalan Bukit Merah, where she lives with her husband, three children and three cats.
Such spending meant she could not afford the resale levy for her new flat. Instead, she had to move into a two-room rental flat in Jalan Bukit Merah, where she lives with her husband, three children and three cats.
"Nobody told me about the levy, or I would've put aside some money," said Madam Norwati, who is unemployed because of a medical condition.
"I never expected to be living in a rental flat today."
This Heartland Auntie has a confession to make.
Around 2002, my husband and I were in financial strife after a failed business venture.
To make things worse, our kids were only toddlers then. My husband and I were tempted to cash out on the executive apartment we bought in 1995.
It was our first home, but we were desperate to get ourselves out of the rut.
It was our first home, but we were desperate to get ourselves out of the rut.
But my husband wisely put it: "If we do that, there is a risk we could end up on the streets."
Recently, I heard a sobering statistic that brought those painful memories back. Three out of four of the 400 homeless families helped by the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) from 2011 to 2013 had sold their HDB flats to settle financial woes or just to cash out a profit.
But they realised later that they could not afford another place.
During the recent debate on his ministry's budget, Minister of State for National Development Mohamad Maliki Osman told Parliament these tenants had already used up the subsidies and grants they were entitled to when they bought their previous flats.
Dr Maliki said that now, nearly six in 10 public rental flats are former home owners. This is up from 52 per cent five years ago, he said.
Did they learn their lesson after settling their debts, this Heartland Auntie wants to know. No, welfare workers from Family Service Centres and grassroots leaders tell The New Paper on Sunday.
Did they learn their lesson after settling their debts, this Heartland Auntie wants to know. No, welfare workers from Family Service Centres and grassroots leaders tell The New Paper on Sunday.
IMPRUDENCE
Social welfare worker Esther Chew says: "After they cleared their debts, many (of them) forget the cause of their initial downturn and neglect to exercise prudence."
Often, by the time these former home owners "come to their senses", it is too late and the money is gone, says another social worker, Ms Lim Meng Choo.
The reasons for their debts include gambling, failed investments and sometimes, just bad financial planning.
She adds: "How do you tell someone who comes to you, 'Look, this is your problem. You should have known better?' It's even harder when they have young children in tow." A grassroots leader, who does not want to be named, says residents then approach their Member of Parliament for housing assistance during the Meet-The-People Session.
He says in Mandarin: "It's especially exasperating when they come and expect that no matter what, they must get the help they want. Some of them don't even want to consider rental flats and insist on getting a second bite of the cake (subsidies)."
Some of the residents do not accept alternative accommodation, MSF said previously. Residents are also unwilling to co-operate and work on their domestic issues or make changes to their lifestyles. Some still insist that they should get special consideration for housing of their choice.
Dr Maliki says the Government wants to help families move from renting flats to owning their own homes.
But, he asks: "Will our society support giving them more housing grants than what other families, including lower-income families, receive?"
The eight welfare workers and grassroots leaders this Heartland Auntie spoke to say many of the cases involve "irresponsible" behaviour and action.
As Madam Annie Wong, a grassroots leader, puts it: "It is different if the person's situation is one that is beyond his control, like maybe he is in the lower income group... than if he is now suffering because of his own bad money management."
It's like they have been given their share of the cake while others are still waiting for theirs.
The flat is not a cash cow. It is a home.
The biggest lesson for this Heartland Auntie back then was to accept that we were responsible for our financial strife.
And the source of pride was how we worked our way out without handouts.
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