On 23 March 2017, responding to a news report over astronomical prices of several short-lease HDB resale flats, Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong cautioned home buyers that only 4% of the flats have been identified for Selective En bloc Redevelopment Scheme (Sers) where the state buys back these flats at market rate and offers affected residents discounted new units at another location. He added that for the vast majority of flats, the leases will expire and the flats will be returned to the HDB, which will in turn have to surrender the land to the state.