{"id":102992,"date":"2019-01-16T07:30:16","date_gmt":"2019-01-16T00:30:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/property-news\/opinion-same-sex-couples-cast-adrift-in-singapores-property-market\/"},"modified":"2019-01-16T08:10:22","modified_gmt":"2019-01-16T01:10:22","slug":"opinion-same-sex-couples-cast-adrift-in-singapores-property-market","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/property-news\/opinion-same-sex-couples-cast-adrift-in-singapores-property-market\/","title":{"rendered":"Opinion: Same-sex couples cast adrift in Singapore's property market"},"content":{"rendered":"


\nWhile Singapore has made some progress on LGBT issues in recent years, the country\u2019s reputation for conservatism is echoed in archaic rules governing the purchase of public housing. Photo: lazyllama\/Shutterstock
\nWhile there is no contesting the success of the country\u2019s public housing programme, things aren\u2019t as inclusive as they seem on the real estate scene.
\nBy Daisy Carrington\u00a0
\nSingapore can be excused for taking pride in its breakneck transformation from sleepy seaside port to fourth on the International Monetary Fund\u2019s list of richest nations. This 50-year evolution can be partly attributed to the rigid planning that has, on the one hand, fostered the world\u2019s most successful public housing programme, and on the other, earned it the reputation of being the governmental equivalent of an overprotective parent.\u00a0
\nOften called \u201cThe Nanny State,\u201d the island nation can be seen as strict with its 5.6 million children. Rules govern what Singaporeans say (speaking against the prime minister and Christianity are both illegal) and how they behave (famously, there are fines for chewing gum, littering, graffiti, spitting and jaywalking). The upshot is a gross national income of USD78,293 (the second highest globally), and a public programme housing 80 percent of the population, 90 percent of whom own their own Housing and Development Board (HDB) flat.\u00a0
\nHowever, not all groups are included in the math of Singapore\u2019s success. One such group? Singapore\u2019s Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual, and Transgender (LGBT) community.
\nSingapore currently has the world\u2019s second highest rate of homeownership, largely due to a generous system of grants and subsidies the HDB provides its citizens. These, however, come with restrictive conditions. Married heterosexual couples, who can apply for housing grants at age 21, enjoy the biggest advantage; whilst unmarried couples, singles, and gay couples are restricted to applying under the Single Singapore Citizen Scheme or Joint Singles Scheme, both of which require applicants to be at least 35.\u00a0
\nThese restrictions may not be specifically targeted at LGBT families, but Indulekshmi Rajeswari, a lawyer, LGBT activist, and author of Same But Different: Legal Guidebook for LGBT Couples and Families in Singapore, points out the government has stated openly on several occasions that they are meant to \u201cencourage families\u201d. As same-sex marriage is not recognised, \u201cLGBT people are cut out of this definition. Only those in a recognised family unit\u2014primarily married heterosexual couples\u2014are normally allowed to buy a HDB apartment.\u201d\u00a0
\nMore:\u00a05 best Southeast Asian cities for LGBT property seekers
\nAnn, a new homeowner who identifies as lesbian, felt pressured to buy private property as she didn\u2019t feel secure waiting eight years to be eligible for an HDB flat. She ponders, \u201cWhat if I waited until I reached 35, and they say, \u2018no, the age is now 45\u2019?\u201d
\nBuying a private apartment meant a big mark-up for Ann, whose two-room condo (still three\u00a0years from completion) cost USD650,000. The same sized HDB apartment would\u2019ve cost a married couple between USD150,000-220,000. Because Ann\u2019s partner is a foreigner, purchasing the apartment together would have resulted in a 20 percent Additional Buyer\u2019s Stamp Duty. Since her income and savings weren\u2019t enough to secure a mortgage solo, she purchased the apartment with a friend.
\nSome in the industry feel that the limited supply of new HDB apartments, coupled with an elderly generation of homeowners reluctant to give theirs up, is locking many young Singaporeans out of the market. Currently, Singaporeans who qualify for HDB flats have to wait three years for Built-to-Order apartments to be available. \u201cAffordability and costs of living are bigger issues than the alleged \u2018LGBT segregation,\u2019\u201d says Wenhui Lim, director of Singapore-based firm Spark Architects.
\nIn fact, a large portion of non-homeowners continue to live at home. Singapore\u2019s 2016 National Youth Council Survey reveals 97 percent of unmarried young people live with their parents.\u00a0
\nFor some in the LGBT community, though, this might not be an option.\u00a0
\n\u201cIf your parents aren\u2019t accepting of who you are, you get chased out of the house,\u201d says Deveshwar Sham, a transgender activist who runs Kopitiam Brothers, a shelter and support group for transgender men.
\nRenting poses its own problems. Legally, LGBT individuals are not protected from discrimination, meaning landlords can opt not to rent to them. Sham relates experiencing first-hand the difficulty of renting a room as a transgender man. \u201cRenting was an issue, because as I was transitioning, I was looking more male, but my ID still showed I was female. Landlords would think, \u2018oh, you might be a thief or a con man.\u2019 They don\u2019t discriminate in front of us, or publicly, but they\u2019ll say they already have a tenant,\u201d he relates.
\nMore:\u00a0Alternative short-term rentals gaining popularity in Singapore
\nSince Sham transitioned, his ID now states he is male, making his later marriage to his wife legitimate, and easily qualifying him for the HDB subsidies. Transitioning has drastically improved his life. \u201cIf I\u2019d not transitioned, I would have considered travelling out of Singapore,\u201d he admits, \u201cbut now that I have, I feel comfortable in my country, and don\u2019t have my rights stripped off of me.\u201d\u00a0
\nAs with some of its more conservative neighbours in Asia, Singapore\u2019s stance towards its LGBT residents could be costing it talent, and money. China, for instance, represents the world\u2019s third largest \u201cpink economy\u201d, with 90 million LGBT Chinese with a total spending power of USD928 billion, according to the World Property Journal. When it comes to where to invest those dollars, they\u2019re more likely to buy property in such foreign markets more accepting of their lifestyle as Bangkok, Phuket, and Manila.\u00a0
\nSingapore\u2019s policies not only cost foreign investment, but there\u2019s a danger LGBT Singaporeans will emigrate to more tolerant countries when they\u2019re ready to settle down and buy property.\u00a0
\nAnn, for one, hasn\u2019t ruled out leaving Singapore one day. \u201cEven though I purchased this property, it may not be somewhere I want to be for life. If the value increases, I may want to sell it off and move overseas,\u201d she says. \u201cI know a lot of LGBT couples who have chosen to move their lives elsewhere, because here it is ignored that we are humans, too.\u201d
\nFind\u00a0HDB flats for sale\u00a0or read our\u00a0HDB guides\u00a0and\u00a0BTO guides
\nThis article was originally published on\u00a0Property-Report.com.\u00a0For more stories from Asia\u2019s most trusted and enduring luxury real estate, architecture and design publication,\u00a0visit\u00a0Property-Report.com
\n
\nSource : proppertyguru.com.sg\/Property Market
\nRead more…Opinion: Same-sex couples cast adrift in Singapore’s property market<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

While Singapore has made some progress on LGBT issues in recent years, the country\u2019s reputation...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-102992","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-property-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p75ss1-qNa","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":101952,"url":"https:\/\/www.siamlandbank.com\/propertynews\/property-news\/kampung-admiralty-wins-top-prize-at-world-architecture-festival\/","url_meta":{"origin":102992,"position":0},"title":"Kampung Admiralty wins top prize at World Architecture Festival","date":"December 3, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"\r Kampung Admiralty features housing for the elderly, a medical centre and childcare facilities. 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