Sharing of Repair Cost for Water Leakage from Upper Floor Flat

Ms Foo Mee Har asked the Minister for National Development whether there should be a cap on the number of times a lower-floor flat is obliged to share the cost of repair for water leakage from the upper-floor flat within a specific time period.

Under the Housing and Development Board (HDB) lease, the repair of leaks in the party structure is a joint responsibility between upper- and lower-floor flat owners. When there is a leak, both upper- and lower-floor flat owners would need to liaise with each other to investigate and carry out repairs. In most cases, issues concerning leaks can be amicably resolved when flat owners exercise mutual understanding and cooperate with one another.

There is no cap on the number of times upper- and lower-floor flat owners are obliged to share in the cost of repair for leaks due to wear and tear. However, if the cause of the leak at the lower-floor flat is due to renovations carried out at the upper-floor flat, the upper floor flat owner will be fully responsible for rectifying the leak and bearing the full repair cost.

For ceiling leaks caused by wear and tear, HDB may also offer assistance to flat owners to repair and co-share the cost of repairs under the Goodwill Repair Assistance Scheme. Under this scheme, HDB will pay 50% of the ceiling leak repair cost. The remaining 50% is then shared equally between the upper- and lower-floor flat owners.