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SINGAPORE – The construction contractor and the Housing Board are rectifying around 200 defects reported by apartment owners in the Woodlands Glen Build-To-Order (BTO) project, said Second Minister of National Development Indranee Rajah.
Defects in the 888-unit project completed in 2017 include cracked toilet seat covers, rusted doors, and issues related to weather seals on wooden toilet doors and windows.
In response to Mr. Vikram Nair (Sembawang GRC) on Tuesday (October 6), Ms. Indranee said that there are no plans to extend the Defects Liability Period (DLP) for newly completed BTO floors.
Currently, new BTO floors have a one-year liability period, during which construction contractors will repair defects reported by the floor owners.
HDB also offers all new floor owners a five-year warranty on external wall leakage or interfloor leaks, and a 10-year warranty on concrete spalling – the spalling of concrete from the ceiling due to corrosion of the bars. steel reinforcement in the floor slab.
Indranee said that about 90 percent of defects are reported within the first year of the block’s completion, and the remaining 10 percent are reported in the second to fifth years.
As such, the one-year period is “sufficient for most new homeowners and is in line with industry practice for private development,” he added.
The average number of defects reported for each flat BTO was about 2.5 in the first year, he said, dropping to 0.2 after the first year, 0.1 after the second year and 0.05 after the third year.
The vast majority of reported defects involve problems such as scratches or cracks in wooden surfaces, walls, tiles and sanitary fixtures, added Ms Indranee, who is also Second Minister of Finance and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office.
“These are easily rectified by contractors and do not affect the structural integrity or safety of the building,” he said.
HDB will investigate the probable cause of maintenance issues that are reported after the liability period and advise apartment owners on follow-up action accordingly, it added.
Indranee said: “If the problem is deemed to be due to an inherent defect or a quality problem, HDB will hire the construction contractor to rectify it.”
Responding to Workers’ Party MP Gerald Giam (Aljunied GRC) on co-pay options for residents who find defects after the liability period, he said that HDB will first investigate the cause and then decide the best course of action.
“The reason I say this, and I cannot give a definitive answer that automatically everything after DLP will be taken care of by HDB, is because it depends on the nature of the defect. It depends on what exactly is the cause and the nature of the follow-up action to be taken, “he added.
“But the assurance we can give is this: If there is a problem after DLP, the HDB will investigate it and do everything possible to resolve it with the contractor.”
What recourse do residents have in cases of recurring problems? Asked Mrs. Carrie Tan (Nee Soon GRC).
Indranee said the same approach will be taken for residents who have had to undergo multiple repair attempts on their apartments, such as water leaks due to poor waterproofing work.
She said: “If the leak arose, let’s say maybe in the sixth year and it was due to the unit upstairs doing certain renovation work and thus breaking the waterproofing, then it really wouldn’t be correct to look at HDB for that’s because the owner above would also have to take some responsibility.
“Considering that for apartments, both HDB and private developments, it cannot be that a developer remains responsible for the entire useful life of the building, which is subject to normal wear and tear.”
Ms. Mariam Jaafar (Sembawang GRC) asked if the expired liability periods will be extended for the BTO and Home Improvement Program projects, given the stoppage of works during the breaker period.
Indranee said that the Government will study it.
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