• MP Vikram Nair asked if HDB would consider extending the Defects Liability Period for new flats from one year to five
• Ms Indranee Rajah said 90 per cent of defect reports are made in the first year after homeowners move into BTO flats
• HDB will work with contractors to help resolve issues after the liability period, she said

SINGAPORE — At one Woodlands Build-to-Order (BTO) public housing project, defects in more than 200 of the 888 units were found, including melting window panes and broken toilet seats.

What. has happened at Woodlands Glen is an anomaly though, Ms Indranee Rajah said. The Second Minister for National Development reported that the Housing and Development Board (HDB) receives an average of just 2.6 reports of defects from every BTO project within the first year of homeowners moving into the flats.

Mr Vikram Nair, Member of Parliament (MP) for Sembawang Group Representation Constituency (GRC) had filed a parliamentary question and mentioned the case of Woodlands Glen, which was completed in 2017. 

He then asked for the number of complaints made in the last three years involving defects in BTO flats that are discovered within five years of their completion. 

He also asked if HDB would consider extending the Defects Liability Period to up to five years, to ensure better workmanship from contractors.

Presently, all newly completed HDB flats are covered by a warranty within a one-year Defects Liability Period, effective from the date when homeonwers collect the keys to the flats.

In response, Ms Indranee said that most of the defects reported by residents are resolved within the first year, and so a one-year Defects Liability Period is still sufficient for the majority of new flat-owners.

About 90 per cent of feedback on defects were made during the first year at BTO flats completed over the past five years, she said. The remaining 10 per cent were made in the second to fifth year, following the completion of the blocks.

On average, the number of reported defects for each BTO project during the Defects Liability Period was around 2.6. This figure drops to 0.2 after the first year, 0.1 after the second year, and 0.05 after the third year, she added.

The vast majority of defects reported are related to issues such as scratches or cracks on timber surfaces, walls, tiles and sanitary fittings, Ms Indranee said.

HDB provides all new flat-owners with a five-year warranty for external wall seepage or inter-floor seepage and a 10-year warranty for spalling concrete.

Still, for outliers such as the Woodlands Glen project, HDB will work closely with the contractor to rectify the defects, Ms Indranee said.

She noted that HDB had met with Precise Development, the building contractor of Woodlands Glen, after several residents appealed to Mr Nair for help.

The contractor then agreed to replace the defects related to cracked toilet seat covers, bumpers and the window weather seal. 

Mr Gerald Giam, Workers’ Party MP for Aljunied GRC, asked what residents can do if they encounter defects after the Defects Liability Period.

Ms Indranee said that in such cases, HDB will investigate the cause of the defects and decide on the best course of action, considering the nature and the cause of the defect, as well as the nature of the follow-up action that should be taken.

“So I think the assurance we can give is… after the Defects Liability Period, HDB will look into it and do its best to resolve it with the contractor,” she said.

“But obviously, if it’s something that crops up 10 years later, then that’s a very different thing.”