Debated in Parliament on 17 Aug 2015.
Ms Tin Pei Ling asked the Minister for National Development whether the Ministry will exempt home owners of MacPherson Residency who are renovating their BTO flats from the mandatory pre-packed material requirement given that a great majority of them have secured their units before the rule's introduction in 2014 and not all blocks could start renovation before 1 June 2015 due to the staggered key collection dates.
The requirement to use pre-packed waterproofing material for renovation of wet areas in HDB flats has been mandated since 2001. This requirement was extended to cover dry areas such as living rooms and bedrooms in view of the many benefits derived from the use of pre-packed material. They include higher quality of finished works, cleaner environment, higher productivity and lesser material wastage.
In June 2014, the HDB Registered Renovation Contractors (RRCs) were informed of the intention for the change. They had a year from then until implementation of policy to adjust
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and to advise their clients accordingly.
The mandatory requirement is consistently applied to all renovation carried out in existing and new HDB flats, regardless of the key collection dates.
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