Inside a Farmhouse-Style, 5-Room HDB Flat in Singapore: Photos
Jasmine Wong and Rainier Ng have been living in their 5-room HDB flat in Tampines, in the eastern region of Singapore, for the past eight months.
The exterior of their apartment block. Amanda Goh/Insider
The couple's home is about a 15-minute walk from the nearest subway station, and about a 25-minute drive from the city center, per Google Maps.
High-rise public housing apartment blocks are a key feature of Singapore's skyline, and they're home to about 80% of the country's resident population.
Constructed by the country's Housing Development Board (HDB), these public housing apartments are also known as HDB flats among the locals.
The first HDB flats were built in 1960 and new estates are still being constructed today. They are considered leasehold properties and each new flat is sold on a 99-year lease.
An HDB estate typically consists of a few identical apartment blocks clustered together.
Wong and Ng's block is painted black and white, like the others in their estate. Only a small sign with each building's block number differentiates one from the other.
Despite Singapore — tied with New York — topping the list of most expensive cities in the world to live in, public housing is still an option for most citizens as long as they meet certain requirements.
But living in an HDB flat does come with its own set of rules. Technically you're not supposed to own cats, rent your home out on Airbnb, or add a mezzanine floor to your apartment.
Source: Insider
