Prior to the development of BTO flats, it was common practice to build blocks of HDB flats before putting them up for sale. The result was a huge oversupply in Yishun and Woodlands in the 1990s. To address the problem, HDB decided to join up a lot of the unsold units and created these large jumbo flats. If you need a large flat, look in Yishun, Woodlands and Jurong East, which is where you can still find jumbo HDB flats. 

Table of Contents

What Are Jumbo HDB Flats

What Makes a Jumbo HDB Flat So Desirable?

Is there some way for me to create a Jumbo HDB flat on my own?

What are Jumbo HDB Flats?

Jumbo HDB flats are two flats combined together to create one large flat. If you are part of the sandwiched class, you may want a public housing jumbo HDB flat [which compares to an Executive Condominium (EC) or a DBSS flat]. This way you can house all family members. 

Jumbo HDB flats range in size from 1,442 square feet to more than 2,000 square feet. Although these are very large flats by HDB standards, they do not come with large bedrooms. On the other hand, the common areas are huge because the two living and dining areas were combined, along with the two kitchens. If you need one more bedroom, you can do what many owners have done and partition off a portion of the living area to create the additional bedroom. 

There are only 485 jumbo HDB flats, which are in Yishun and Woodlands and some are currently up for sale. If you’d like to see them, reach out to the experienced agents at Pinnacle Estate Agent or go online and search the property portals like 99.co and PropertyGuru.com.sg. 

What Makes a Jumbo HDB Flat So Desirable?

What stands out most is how huge they are in terms of interior living space. Having so much room to spread out is a luxury most families can only dream of. Jumbo HDB flats provide a variety of benefits that you can’t get in a standard HDB flat:

1. Offer plenty of interior space without forcing you to buy an expensive condo. 

Even though there are 5-room and spacious executive HDB flats available, these are often not large enough for extended families. it can get crowded when three generations are living together. A jumbo flat has 15 to 30% more floor space than the largest standard HDB flats. 

If you search for such a large apartment, the only choices are expensive condos. This is a far cry in terms of price per square foot when you want a 1,500-sqft flat. The average price of a jumbo flat of 2,066 sqft in Woodlands is $380 psf, whereas a leasehold condo of the same size in the cheapest area Outside of Central Region would be double that or more. 

For plenty of space, jumbo flats are a great option for the price. These are HDB flats, so you can take out an HDB loan instead of using a bank, so you can finance 90% of the price!

2. Gives you an opportunity to buy a spacious home at an affordable price. 

Jumbo HDB flats meet the needs of large extended or multi-generational families. The entire family can now live together comfortably. To make this even more affordable, you and the other adults in the family can share the cost. With a jumbo flat, each family member can have their very own private space, a benefit usually only afforded those in landed properties. 

3. You can choose any décor you wish, which is very difficult to do in most HDB flats. 

If you love a certain style interior, like Modern, Shabby Chic, English Cottage, etc., you really can’t decorate a standard HDB flat very easily due to lack of space. What you notice most in HDB flats is not the décor, but how claustrophobic they feel. 

With a jumbo HDB flat, you can decorate to your heart’s content. You have so much space to work with that you can even choose a different décor in each living area. 

4. Offers an opportunity for a generous rental income. 

In addition to being aesthetically pleasing, jumbo HDB flats offer you an opportunity to make a nice rental income. For example, when your children are grown and gone you will be left with enough space to create a standalone rental unit. You will be able to advertise the flat as an “entire rental unit” by partitioning off and separating the original two units. 

You would be required to have an adjoining door between the two units, which you can keep closed. This way you can make a generous rental income without being forced to give up your privacy or to move out.  

Furthermore, just like all the million-dollar maisonettes, the rarity of jumbo HDB flats might make them more resistant to downturns in the market. When you are ready to sell your flat, make sure it’s tastefully decorated and in great condition. If you engage an experienced agent from Pinnacle Estate Agency, we will know how to market your flat to appeal to the type of buyers who can afford to pay top dollar.  

Is there some way for me to create a Jumbo HDB flat on my own?

Yes, absolutely! For HDB resale flats, there is a Conversion Scheme in which qualified buyers/owners can put in an application requesting permission to join two existing flats together. 

Under this scheme you would have to meet one of the following two conditions:

1. You presently own a 3-room (or smaller) HDB flat and want to purchase the 3-room (or smaller) flat that adjoins yours. The title deeds to the two units would be merged with just one unit number being retained. 
2. You currently do not own a flat and would like to purchase two adjoining 3-room (or smaller) HDB resale flats. The title deeds to the two units would be merged with just one unit number being retained.

In either case, once the two flats are joined into one jumbo flat, it cannot be split apart in the future to create two separate flats. Single buyers and/or joint singles do not qualify for the Conversion Scheme. Also, there must be at least one Singaporean citizen among the buyers who is 21 years of age or older. 

Buyers must apply for the Conversion Scheme together as follows: 

• Spouse and any children
• Parents and any siblings
• If divorced or widowed, children should have legal custody or guardianship of

At Pinnacle Estate Agency, we strongly believe in sharing our real estate knowledge to the public.⁠ For more content like this article, check out our Singapore Property Guides.