Some Homeowners Lament Their 8-Year Wait For Yishun BTO Flats. But Was The Long Wait Always Known From The Start?

When the Housing Development Board (HDB) announced on Sunday (Oct 12) that the estimated waiting time for new Build-To-Order flats (BTO) has been cut drastically, some Singaporeans welcomed the news.

However, others who claimed to have applied for a BTO project in Yishun in 2022 are not feeling the same way. Simply because they could be waiting for their BTOs to be completed for up to eight years. This is according to a Reddit post about the building frustration around the long wait for Vanda Breeze @ Yishun, as shared by user sweet-lil-thang.

According to screenshots provided by the netizen, the completion date for Vanda Breeze @ Yishun is slated to be the second quarter of 2029, with a tentative move-in date of 2030.

Another Redditor posted pictures reportedly taken on October 11 showing the site looking like it is in its early stages.

Google reviews also showed many other unhappy comments.

One said that she and her husband had applied before they got married. “Now, I’m a mum and my kid has already started schooling, but my house isn’t completed yet,” she said.

“This Vanda Breeze project is getting from bad to worse. How can it be stretched for seven to eight years while they have been saying HDB should be finished in less than three years?” read an angry comment. 

However, in a reply from HDB to one of the homeowners, which was posted on Google reviews, it was stated that the probable completion date for the Vanda Breeze @ Yishun project has always been the 2nd quarter 2029, unchanged since applicants signed on the dotted line.

"The completed timelines were clearly communicated during the Nov 2022 sales launch, and were further reinforced when you made informed decisions to book the 4-room flat." read the response.

Another similar response from a Redditor popped up online, this time explaining that completion times depend on factors like site and soil conditions, design complexity, and number of units.

"When the area opened for balloting it was already stated that TOP is 2028/2029. If you can't wait that long then ballot for what?" another Redditor commented. 

Vanda Breeze comprises 961 units, and includes 2-room, 3-room, 4-room, and 5-room flats.

The nearby Yishun Glade BTO project that is due to be launched in an upcoming exercise this month is said to have a wait time of less than three years. It has 561 units consisting of 2-room and 4-room units.

8days.sg reached out to HDB to clarify Vanda Breeze @ Yishun appears to have an eight-year wait, compared to the upcoming launches.

According to HDB, the actual waiting time is about 67 months, roughly 5.7 years. Not eight years as claimed by the netizen.

 This figure is calculated from the median month of the flat selection exercise (from the November 2022 launch) to the median of the projected completion month for the blocks in the project. 

That means the waiting time represents the average duration successful applicants have to wait for the delivery of their BTO project.

HDB also explained that Vanda Breeze @ Yishun’s site was also heavily vegetated and located near a proposed park, requiring additional time for site preparation and environmental mitigation to reduce potential impact before construction could begin.

In response as to why Yishun Glade has a shorter waiting time, HDB says it is because it is a Shorter Waiting Time (SWT) project launched in the October 2025 sales exercise.

"To achieve the shorter waiting time of less than three years for SWT projects, suitable sites are identified early, and the whole construction process is brought forward by about one to two years before the projects are launched," said HDB.

The 

Photos: sweet-lil-thang/Reddit