Woman Complains About “Poor” Condition of New Sengkang BTO Flat

What was supposed to be a new dream home for a woman and her family turned out to be a nightmare as her new unit came riddled with a multitude of defects.

Jess Choo, the owner of a pre-purchased unit at Block 175B of Rivervale Shores, took to social media to air her grievances about the BTO project located in Sengkang. This occurred not long after she had collected her keys to the flat.

Owner of Unit Posts Facebook Reel Detailing The Extent of Defects Affecting Her Unit, Balcony Was Poorly Constructed

In the Facebook reel she posted, Jess listed the myriad of defects she had spotted in her unit, all of which were marked by numerous pieces of masking tape.

From dents, holes and uneven floor tiles, she complained of “poor workmanship” and “poor finishing” of the unit. 

The paint was mottled before she and her family had even moved in, and the location of the drain cover of the water pipes was wrongly designed.

There were small holes in the corners where the tiles should have been covered, and the surface of the walls was uneven.

Woman and Her Family had Looked Forward to Upgrading Her Home But Was Disappointed With Flawed Condition of House

In an interview with 8world News, Jess shared that she lives in a rental flat with her two younger children, while her eldest daughter is currently staying with relatives.

Since space in the rental HDB was tight, the eldest daughter had applied to pre-purchase a four-room flat in Rivervale Shores about seven years ago.

The family of four was looking forward to upgrading their small home to a place that was much more spacious, but after receiving their keys on 27 June, the family were less than satisfied with the poor condition their unit was in.

The house could be compared to the likes of swiss cheese – full of holes and vulnerable to ants.

Jess told reporters that there were many small holes in the walls and corners of the entire unit, which amounted to a total of more than 40.

She feared that the ants would be able to enter the house from the holes that were present. 

Many places such as the door and gate were badly scratched. The rusted window hinges in the house were also a cause for concern, as Jess was afraid to bear the cost of the damages caused should the window fall from the lack of support.

Family Had to Postpone Moving Into the House

As a result of the dismal condition of her unit, Jess said that the renovation plan, which was originally scheduled to start in July, has now been postponed. The seventh month of the lunar calendar (the month of the hungry ghost festival) is not suitable for decoration, and all arrangements for renovation can only be moved to October.

This means that Jess and her family can only move into their home at their later date. Currently, they can only make do with a temporary squeeze in their current rental flat and hope that the defects can be resolved after two weeks.

HDB Has Since Inspected the Unit, Assures Family That Problems Should Be Fixed in Two Weeks

Jess’s eldest daughter has since raised the issue to the Housing Development Board (HDB).

Two HDB inspectors, a contractor and two foreign workers went to the unit for an inspection on 3 July and informed the owner that the problem will be resolved within two weeks.

HDB has also responded to queries by 8world News, stating that they have spoken to the home owners and confirmed the problems which need to be rectified.

They have said that the peeled-off paint and paint stains on the balcony floor may have been caused by recent rain after the contractor had completed a round of final inspections. As a result, the paint was washed off the balcony before it had fully dried and stained the floor.

HDB also said that the homeowners have been assured that the contractor will correct the defects, remove the paint stains and refinish the paint within two weeks.

The authorities also said that according to industry practice, after receiving the keys to the new unit, the new HDB flat owner generally enjoys a one-year defect liability period. During this period, the building contractor is responsible for repairing all defects in the unit.