Selective Enbloc Redevelopment Scheme (SERS)
Selective En-bloc Redevelopment Scheme (SERS)
SERS was introduced under the administration of Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong, during National Day in August 1995.
Under SERS, the government would acquire the land from aging HDB estates to renew them. Any residents displaced by SERS would receive compensation and rehousing benefits; this includes a flat with a topped-up 99-year lease, from a list of replacement sites.
The SERS benefits include:
- Guaranteed ability to get a flat at one of the designated replacement sites* (if you choose a flat outside the replacement sites, you are not guaranteed to get one; but you’re still given priority over other applicants)
- Subsidy of up to 20 per cent for the replacement flat (capped at $30,000)
- No resale levy on the replacement flat
- Compensation based on the market value of the flat being replaced
- Small pay outs to help with costs such as moving (it’s up to HDB’s discretion how much is fair)
*As an added bonus, the replacement sites are often nearby. HDB wants to keep the community as intact as possible.
We’ve seen roughly 80 SERS events since their inception in 1995; but they grow fewer each year. The last was 2016, when Blocks 513 to 520 West Coast Road were acquired. But this was after a long two year break (the previous SERS events were in Tanglin Halt Road and Commonwealth Drive in 2014).
What are the rehousing benefits of SERS?
The exact rehousing benefits vary based on your profile. For example, a first or second-timer family will receive a $30,000 SERS grant to get their new flat, which is still at a subsidised price. However, a family that consists purely of Permanent Residents will not get the grant – they will only get their new flat at the subsidised price.
The exact list of benefits is too long to be listed here – check the HDB website on SERS to see what exactly you’d qualify for.