Rental income may not be enough to service the loans; bonds flagged as another concern

Read? Rental income may not be enough to service the loans; bonds flagged as another concern


..........

MAS noted, however, that on the whole, households here have an "ample financial buffer" to weather the stress of soft economic and labour market conditions.

Still, it warned that as slower growth weighs on earnings, some households might find it harder to service their debts, especially if they have taken on a high amount.

Households should start planning for retirement early and take a long-term view when deciding on property purchases, MAS said.

After all, the more households pay towards property, the less they have left over for retirement.

An HSBC survey last year found that households tend to underestimate their retirement expenditure, the MAS noted.

To supplement their retirement income, households could consider various options of monetising their housing assets, it added.

These include moving to smaller homes with the option of taking up the Silver Housing Bonus, renting out their properties or spare bedrooms, or applying for the Lease Buyback Scheme offered by the Housing Board.

(CW8888 : Many of his peers in his generation will be taking up this option)