Age eligibility for Community Care Apartments lowered from 65 to 55; monthly fees reduced

Harmony Village @ Bukit Batok was the first Community Care Apartment development in Singapore. (Photo: HDB)

The eligibility age for Community Care Apartments (CCAs) will be lowered from 65 to 55, the Ministry of Health (MOH), the Ministry of National Development (MND) and HDB announced on July 13. The lower eligibility age will take effect from the October Build-to-Order (BTO) sales exercise.

Additionally, the monthly basic service package (BSP) fees for CCAs will be reduced by 18% to 75%.

The changes are "part of the government's broader efforts to expand housing and care options for seniors", the agencies said. Seniors aged 55 years old who wish to right-size their homes can consider both two-room flexi flats on short lease and CCAs, giving them more options and time to plan ahead, they added.

First introduced in 2021, CCAs are public housing for seniors who wish to age independently in the community. The developments feature homes with senior-friendly fittings and also integrate social care services.

CCA residents are required to subscribe to the BSP, which comprises a suite of care and support services, including 24-hour emergency response and assistance for simple home fixes. Residents can also add on optional services such as fall monitoring and housekeeping.

According to MOH, MND and HDB, the BSP will be made more affordable by streamlining services offered. Residents can also opt out of an emergency alert device originally provided under the BSP, further reducing fees.

Additionally, MOH will subsidise components of the BSP that are similar to those currently subsidised under the Long-Term Care schemes.

To date, HDB has launched five CCA projects — Harmony Village @ Bukit Batok, Queensway Canopy in Queenstown, Bedok’s Chai Chee Green, Merpati Alcove in Geylang and Sengkang’s Fernvale Plains.

A sixth CCA project will launch in October as part of Toa Payoh West @ Caldecott, a BTO project next to Caldecott MRT Station.

Lee Sze Teck, senior director for data analytics at Huttons Asia, notes that application rates for CCA developments have declined over past launches. “The application rate was 4.2 when it was first introduced [at Harmony Village @ Bukit Batok]. But it has steadily eased to 0.7 in the last CCA project in Fernvale Plains,” he says. However, he expects the new measures to boost demand for CCAs, with the upcoming launch in Toa Payoh potentially garnering application rates above one.

Meanwhile, Christine Sun, chief researcher and strategist at Realion (OrangeTee & ETC) Group, notes that the changes could divert some demand away from two-room flexi flats. “This means that other applicants, such as singles, will have more 2-room flexi flats to choose from, leading to a higher ballot success,” she adds.