Debated in Parliament on 14 Jan 2013.
Mr Liang Eng Hwa asked the Minister for National Development (a) what is the number of complaints that HDB received with regard to defects, poor quality or dissatisfaction with new BTO flats completed in the last two years; and (b) how does HDB deal with such complaints, in particular, those complaints that are due to unsatisfactory building designs.
HDB is committed to offering flats of high quality to Singaporean households, and designs its flats to be safe and functional.
Among the 19,100 BTO flats completed in the last two years, there were about 13,900 reported defects. This averaged less than one reported defect per dwelling unit. For instance, the most common defects were for doors, sanitary fixtures and windows. They were mostly minor defects that could be rectified easily.
BCA's Construction Quality Assessment System (CONQUAS) measures the quality of construction projects. HDB adopts CONQUAS as an independent benchmark. In the past five years, HDB's CONQUAS scores have also been
Page: 142
rising, reflecting higher quality of flats built.
At every BTO development, HDB sets up a Building Service Centre (BSC) to promptly attend to residents' feedback. HDB also regularly reviews its work processes and the building materials used to improve the quality of its flats.
HDB carries out regular surveys to gather residents' feedback on the design of its flats. These feedback are taken into consideration and incorporated into its flat design where practical. Surveys showed that residents are generally satisfied with HDB's design.
PAPERCUTS