Per the Straits Times, National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan said on Wednesday that Housing and Development Board flats have not shrunk in recent years, and that flat sizes have remained unchanged for the past 15 years.
According to the ST:
A four-room flat, for instance, has remained at 90 sq m since the mid-90s, HDB figures show. HDB has also said that the amount of living space per person has risen, as the number of people in an average household has dropped.
The ST reporter, Jessica Cheam, later wrote this on her Facebook page:
A few people have asked me if it’s really true that #HDB flats have not shrunk in the past 15 years. And why it doesn’t match a previous report I wrote in Nov last year on the same issue. I’ve doublechecked with HDB and both reports are right – Minister Khaw is accurate in saying the flat size hasn’t changed in the past 15 years because the mid-90s was the last time that HDB changed flat sizes.
So, more accurately – The size of a four-room flat, for example, has been 90 sq m since the mid-90s. It was 100 sq m prior to that, and 105 sq m in the 1980s, according to HDB figures. (emphasis added)
The table given to us by HDB in the Nov report used a more generic timeframe (1980s, 1990s, 2000s) to show the sizes over the decades.
So yes, HDB flat sizes have shrunk in the past 3 decades – but it has not shrunk over the past 15 years.
It isn’t clear what type of four-room flat those figures refer to (models include: A, Simplified, Improved, Standard). They also appear to be average figures.
Compare them to the following list, which includes details of some HDB four-room flats sold in the resale market this year. The data is drawn from the HDB website, and is available here.
This list is not exhaustive (there is far more data for older flats than newer ones, as expected). I’ve also tried to provide some geographical variety for each year. It starts from 1996, although Khaw’s statement apparently covers the 1997-2011 period. For comparative purposes, I’ve only included model A flats.
Note: The existing Build-to-Order system was launched in 2001 to replace the Registration-for-Flat system. RFS was phased out in 2002. This is something to bear in mind, since construction of flats sold under the BTO system would have commenced up to four years prior to the start of the lease.
In terms of the timeframe, Khaw and the HDB may also be referring not to when the flats were completed and first sold, but when the flats were first planned and built. For example, if the HDB slashed flat sizes in 1995/6 (i.e. the mid-90s), then these smaller flats may only come to market from 1998 to 2000.
UPDATE: I should also credit Yu-Mei Balasingamchow for her blogpost on five-room HDB flat sizes, which gave me the idea to create a similar list for four-room flats.
Street Name |
Storey |
Floor Area (sqm)/Model |
Lease start date |
Jurong West St 81 |
06 to 10 |
107.00 Model A |
1996 |
Yung Loh Rd |
16 to 20 |
106.00 Model A |
1996 |
Clarence Lane |
01 to 05 |
104.00 Model A |
1996 |
Redhill Lane |
01 to 05 |
114.00 Model A |
1996 |
Woodlands St 83 |
06 to 10 |
106.00 Model A |
1996 |
Strathmore Ave |
01 to 05 |
103.00 Model A |
1997 |
Lompang Rd |
11 to 15 |
101.00 Model A |
1997 |
Hougang Ave 1 |
01 to 05 |
101.00 Model A |
1997 |
Woodlands Circle |
01 to 05 |
103.00 Model A |
1997 |
Lor 7 Toa Payoh |
11 to 15 |
106.00 Model A |
1998 |
Gangsa Rd |
01 to 05 |
100.00 Model A |
1998 |
Jurong West St 61 |
06 to 10 |
100.00 Model A |
1998 |
Hougang Ave 1 |
01 to 05 |
100.00 Model A |
1998 |
Woodlands Circle |
11 to 15 |
103.00 Model A |
1998 |
Senja Rd |
21 to 25 |
99.00 Model A |
1999 |
Choa Chu Kang Ave 3 |
11 to 15 |
101.00 Model A |
1999 |
Hougang St 31 |
06 to 10 |
101.00 Model A |
1999 |
Toh Guan Rd |
06 to 10 |
100.00 Model A |
1999 |
Rivervale St |
06 to 10 |
101.00 Model A |
1999 |
Rivervale Walk |
11 to 15 |
104.00 Model A |
1999 |
Jurong East St 21 |
01 to 05 |
103.00 Model A |
2000 |
Woodlands Dr 16 |
06 to 10 |
91.00 Model A |
2000 |
Pine Cl |
01 to 05 |
95.00 Model A |
2000 |
Compassvale Rd |
11 to 15 |
92.00 Model A |
2000 |
Compassvale Dr |
06 to 10 |
90.00 Model A |
2001 |
Yung Sheng Rd |
11 to 15 |
96.00 Model A |
2001 |
Jurong West Ave 3 |
01 to 05 |
90.00 Model A |
2001 |
Jurong West St 64 |
16 to 20 |
91.00 Model A |
2001 |
Lengkok Bahru |
16 to 20 |
90.00 Model A |
2001 |
Anchorvale Rd |
11 to 15 |
90.00 Model A |
2002 |
Cantonment Cl |
01 to 05 |
75.00 Model A |
2002 |
Choa Chu Kang Cres |
11 to 15 |
90.00 Model A |
2002 |
Choa Chu Kang Dr |
06 to 10 |
90.00 Model A |
2002 |
Clementi Ave 3 |
06 to 10 |
86.00 Model A |
2002 |
Lor 2 Toa Payoh |
11 to 15 |
90.00 Model A |
2002 |
Ang Mo Kio Ave 6 |
11 to 15 |
90.00 Model A |
2003 |
Bt Batok Ctrl |
16 to 20 |
90.00 Model A |
2003 |
Teban Gdns Rd |
16 to 20 |
90.00 Model A |
2003 |
Klang Lane |
11 to 15 |
75.00 Model A |
2003 |
Edgedale Plains |
11 to 15 |
85.00 Model A |
2003 |
Woodlands Circle |
11 to 15 |
90.00 Model A |
2003 |
Cantonment Cl |
01 to 05 |
75.00 Model A |
2003 |
Rivervale Cres |
11 to 15 |
90.00 Model A |
2003 |
Farrer Pk Rd |
11 to 15 |
90.00 Model A |
2004 |
Bt Batok West Ave 5 |
11 to 15 |
92.00 Model A |
2004 |
Punggol Field |
06 to 10 |
85.00 Model A |
2004 |
Punggol Field |
11 to 15 |
90.00 Model A |
2004 |
Bedok Nth Rd |
06 to 10 |
92.00 Model A |
2005 |
Boon Tiong Rd |
01 to 05 |
91.00 Model A |
2005 |
Boon Tiong Rd |
11 to 15 |
100.00 Model A |
2005 |
Redhill Rd |
21 to 25 |
100.00 Model A |
2005 |
Jln Tiga |
01 to 05 |
93.00 Model A |
2005 |
Strathmore Ave |
06 to 10 |
90.00 Model A |
2006 |
Strathmore Ave |
21 to 25 |
90.00 Model A |
2006 |
Clementi Ave 3 |
06 to 10 |
90.00 Model A |
2006 |
Lor 2 Toa Payoh |
11 to 15 |
91.00 Model A |
2006 |
Lor 2 Toa Payoh |
26 to 30 |
86.00 Model A |
2006 |
Eunos Cres |
06 to 10 |
90.00 Model A |
2007 |
Redhill Rd |
01 to 05 |
100.00 Model A |
2007 |
Jln Membina |
06 to 10 |
90.00 Model A |
2008 |
Tanglin Halt Rd |
36 to 40 |
85.00 Model A |
2008 |
Tanglin Halt Rd |
36 to 40 |
90.00 Model A |
2008 |
Jln Membina |
26 to 30 |
85.00 Model A |
2009 |
Toa Payoh Ctrl |
16 to 20 |
76.00 Model A |
2009 |
Toa Payoh Ctrl |
16 to 20 |
91.00 Model A |
2009 |
Fernvale Rd |
11 to 15 |
96.00 Model A |
2010 |
Sengkang West Ave |
06 to 10 |
94.00 Model A |
2011 |