THE Housing Board will offer more rental flats to meet the demand from lower income Singaporeans who cannot afford or are not yet ready to buy their own flats.

Minister for National Development Mah Bow Tan announced this on Wednesday after he visited the first batch of newly converted HDB Board rental flats at Block 852 at Woodlands Street 83.

The 180 flats, which is part of the move by HDB to increase supply of rental flats to extend more help to needy households, will be ready for allocation to applicants from this month.

Another 290 converted units at Redhill will be ready in early 2009.

HDB is also building 976 units of new rental flats in Choa Chu Kang, Sembawang and Yishun.These will be ready by early 2010. Altogether, a total of 2,194 new rental units will be added to the total stock of HDB rental flats.

Said Mr Mah during his visit to the converted flats at Woodlands: 'This additional supply of rental flats will help to meet the demand from lower income Singaporeans who cannot afford or are not yet ready to buy their own flats.'

'HDB will continue to reserve its rental flats, which are very heavily subsidised, to those who are really needy. Some of those who apply for such flats do not fall into this category.'

'Those who are financially capable of owning a flat or renting accommodation from the open market, and those who have family who can support them, should not deprive the more needy of subsidised rental housing.'

The HDB also announced on Wednesday that it will suspend the allocation of rental flats under the Daily Selection Scheme (DSS) from this month. Rental flats will continue to be allocated under the monthly selection exercises to eligible applicants.

Implemented in 1991, the DSS allowed rental applicants to select, for immediate occupation, flats that are not being taken up under the monthly selection exercises.

With the current high take-up of rental flats in all locations under the monthly selection exercises, there is no need to allocate rental flats through the DSS.