Check Defects HDB New House 2023: 5 things you need to know (with Prices)

Now that you’ve collected your keys to your new HDB BTO, what’s next? You’ll probably be bringing a bag of auspicious items to “roll the pineapple”.

After rolling the pineapple? Check for defects, report them to HDB. Wait for your estate’s Building Service Centre staff to make an appointment to meet you to visit your unit and go through all reported defects. Allow repair works to be done by your estate’s building contractor.

Finally, meet the Building Service Centre staff again to inspect all repair works before closing the case.

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Check Defects HDB New House 2023: 5 things you need to know (with Prices)

Door Opening Ceremony: Roll Pineapple, Sprinkle Salt

If you’re superstitious, always check for an auspicious date and time to open your new home’s door. Ask your existing Feng Shui master, or simply check online via one of those Feng Shui websites.

When you’re at your new home’s door, you’re supposed to recite a bunch of good and auspicious words before you open the door. Here, some people who follow traditions closely may even light a red charcoal stove (new BTO estates may provide the red stove at the void deck) and drape red cloths across the door frame.

Then, roll the whole pineapple as far as possible into the house.

Step into the house and follow the pineapple.. If you have a stove, now is the time to carry expensive objects in your hands and step over the smoking charcoal. Where the pineapple has stopped, continue to push and roll it into all the rooms of the house. Be sure to not roll it into your bathroom.

When you’re done rolling the pineapple, you start sprinkling a mix of rice, salt, and tea leaves around the house (now including the bathroom).

Once you’re done sprinkling, you’re supposed to place a bunch of auspicious items in the middle of your living room. This tray of items vary from person to person. You can go all out or go “lite”.

Generally, it’s fruits and prosperity cakes with red packets:

  • Prosperity Cakes in orange or brown (Huat Kueh)
  • 5 Apples
  • 5 Oranges
  • 5 Pomegranates
  • 1 Banana bunch
  • 1 Grapes bunch
  • 1 Strawberries box
  • 1 Tea leaves packet
  • 1 Red Packet with eight $1 coins inside
  • 1 Tray with wet cotton wool and green beans to germinate

And then, people tend to place 2 oranges and 1 red packet (with eight $1 coins inside) at all four corners of the house – or each corner of every room.

Do not quarrel on this day. Be sure to be harmonious and leave the house with positive vibes, joy, and feeling happy. Very Marie Kondo, you’re right.

Three days later, you’re allowed to return to clean up and remove the auspicious items placed.

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Check Defects HDB New House 2023: 5 things you need to know (with Prices)

HDB Report Defects

What to do after cleaning up the auspicious items? You start checking for defects in your new home. If you have a good interior designer, your project manager should come by and help you with the defect checking and, in the process, take a good look at the house and improvise on the interior design.

Many HDB BTO owners do their own defect checking and then report these defects directly to HDB for repair.

Depending on the number of defects and severity of your defects, HDB’s repair can take up to two weeks to three months.

For example, my BTO’s floor tile skirting had a major ant infestation. I reported it to HDB, and they managed to get the entire skirting replaced. However, that came at a cost of time. I had a two month delay before my interior designer’s actual renovations could start.

How to report new BTO defects to HDB?

HDB actually has ample information about BTO defects, how you can check, and how you can report defects for repair. You must be wondering why are there so many defects since it’s a brand new house.

Well, every new BTO estate has hundreds (and sometimes thousands of flats). HDB does have their own quality check personnel going around checking the overall condition of the flats before handover. However, the minor details may be overlooked. Therefore, HDB encourages new homeowners to check their new BTO units for defects before starting renovation.

You can report your defects to:

Is HDB going to repair the defects for free?

Yes, repairs will be free. You may not be aware, but all HDB BTO flats are covered by the “1-Year Defects Liability Period” (DLP). The one-year period starts from the date of your key collection. Within this period, your new home is still under warranty. So defects will be repaired by your BTO estate’s building contractor. Some important things to note:

  • Defects must be reported within 30 days of key collection
  • Your BTO estate’s Building Service Centre (BSC)’s staff will be liaising the repairs
  • You can borrow tools from your Building Service Centre for defect checking
  • You will need to meet a staff from your BSC to go through reported defects
  • You will need to meet a BSC staff to go through repaired works at the end too

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Check Defects HDB New House 2023: 5 things you need to know (with Prices)
HDB BTO Defects Checklist by My Nice Home

HDB Defects Checklist

Before you panic and start engaging professional BTO defect checkers, there’s actually a DIY defect checklist by HDB. Here are the six steps that HDB has recommended for defect checking:

  1. Bring all keys to your unit and letterbox: Check all locks
  2. Open letterbox for clutch key and screwdriver: Turn on water mains
  3. Bring post-it notes
  4. Bring pen, pencil, and more paper
  5. Bring mobile chargers to test electric sockets
  6. Bring tapping rod (or borrow from the Building Service Centre)

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7 Professional BTO Defect Check Companies (with Prices)

7 Professional BTO Defect Check Companies (with Prices)

If you aren’t going for an extensive renovation and would prefer to ride on the free HDB repair works, you’re best off engaging professional BTO defect checkers.

Professional BTO CheckersPrices
Uncle Defect$200 to $700
Lacasa
Absolute Inspection$250 to $1,000
YHH Plus Enterprise (Defects Check)$200 to $400
Ark Interior$200 to $500
Advance Inspection$240 to $620
SG Defect Scan

1. Uncle Defect SG

Founded by the former interior designer Uncle Amos who has been in the renovation industry for over 11 years, Uncle Defect helps you to do a thorough defect checking report in professional renovation lingo.

Once Uncle Defect is done, you just need to copy and paste, and submit the report to HDB or your condo’s MCST.

Uncle Defects takes half a day to go through your entire house. He offers three packages for you to choose from:

  • Silver: One-time inspection with full photo report
  • Gold: Inspection with full photo report, second inspection with developer, final inspection
  • Platinum: End to end inspection, with quotations and options with other contractors

Uncle Defect’s prices are transparently listed on his website:

Uncle DefectSilver (Basic)GoldPlatinum
HDB 2-room$200$300$450
HDB 3-room$250$350$500
HDB 4-room$300$400$550
HDB 5-room$350$450$600
Executive Apartment$400$500$650
Executive Maisonette$450$500$700

WhatsApp Uncle Defect at 9323 3338.

2. Lacasa

Unlike Uncle Defect who offers a variety of packages to suit different budgets, Lacasa only offers one comprehensive package that comprises of end-to-end three inspections. Lacasa will also help to submit the defect list to your home’s developer based on necessary procedures.

Lacasa seems to be more focused on condominium and private property defect inspections, with a long list of condominium defect inspections under their belt such as Sophia Hills, Kingsford Waterbay, High Park Residences, Clement Canopy, Stars of Kovan, Amber45, Martin Modern, and more.

Lacasa’s new home inspection prices are not listed online. You are required to contact Lacasa for a quotation.

Contact Lacasa at 9185 0327 Jerry and 9455 6934 Dawn.

7 Professional BTO Defect Check Companies (with Prices)

3. Absolute Inspection

Absolute Inspection operates in both Singapore and Malaysia, and was founded by a Singaporean named Tan Wee Kwang who used to be with the Building and Construction Authority (BCA).

There are two packages available for you to choose from: a basic Essential, and a Comprehensive package with the end-to-end three inspections along with the defect reports to developers.

Absolute InspectionEssentialComprehensive
HDB 2-room$250$350
HDB 3-room$400$450
HDB 4-room$350$450
HDB 5-room$400$500
Executive Condominium (EC) & Condos$300 – $800$350 – $1,000

WhatsApp Absolute Inspection at 9151 2312.

4. YHH Plus Enterprise

Another professional BTO defect checker is YHH Plus Enterprise which offers new home inspection for HDB BTO, rental apartments, HDB resale, private properties, and even commercial properties.

YHH’s new home defect inspection fees are not listed on their website.

WhatsApp YHH Plus Enterprise at 9455 0766

7 Professional BTO Defect Check Companies (with Prices)

5. Ark Interior

Located at 46 Ean Kiam Place, Ark Interior carries out new home defects checking as well for HDBs, condominiums, and private landed properties.

Ark Interior’s defects checkers are trained by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA), and will cover electrical, water, or even foundational defects with your house.

Ark Interior doesn’t list their prices and packages transparently on their website. However, it’s known that they historically offer two packages: Essential and Comprehensive, with prices ranging from $200 to $500.

Ark InteriorEssentialComprehensive
HDB 2-room$200$300
HDB 3-room$250$350
HDB 4-room$300$400
HDB 5-room$350$450
Bigger flats$400$500

WhatsApp Ark Interior at 9692 7336.

6. Advance Inspection

Located at 19 Thomson Hills Drive, Advance Inspection offers residential, commercial, and rental apartment home defect inspections.

There is one comprehensive package offered that entails three end-to-end inspection trips with soft copy reports. If your property allows, Advance Inspection will also submit the defect report for repairs on your behalf.

Here are Advance Inspection’s home defect checking prices:

Advance InspectionPrice
HDB 2-room$240
HDB 3-room$280
HDB 4-room$320
HDB 5-room$360
Bigger HDBs$400
Executive Condominiums (EC) & Private Condo$300 to $620

WhatsApp Advance Inspection at 8748 0988.

HDB Defect Checker: 8 Professional defect checker companies (with prices)

7. SG Defect Scan

SG Defect Scan is another professional defect checker that has been gaining popularity. Located at 22 Sin Ming Lane, Midview City, SG Defect Scan offers home defect inspection for new HDB BTO, HDB resale, rental apartments, and even for commercial properties.

While you’re done with the defect scan, you can continue to engage these guys for house painting, mould inspection and repair works, plumbing etc. handyman services.

WhatsApp SG Defect Scan at 8776 6987.

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HDB BTO Defects Checklist: 6 Things I Learnt

I recently got keys to my new home. The journey has been hectic yet very enriching. Despite being equipped with the knowledge of, and contacts within the interior design industry, there’s still so much to discover when embarking on the journey on my own.

Getting down to the nitty-gritty (like the colours of the internal carcasses of cabinetry, the types of hinges, which way I’d prefer the door to swing etc.) that I wouldn’t necessarily pay that much attention to after renovation is done.

Well, that was during the design conceptualisation of the home.

Check for Defects ASAP Upon Key Collection

Went full steam ahead after key collection, and one of the first things I had to do was to check for defects in the home.

Because my apartment is furnished with flooring, doors, wardrobes as well as fully-furnished kitchen and bathrooms, there were more things to pay attention to.

After a firsthand experience, here’re some quick tips on what you should look out for when checking for defects:

1. Check for Hollow Tiles

We started off checking for hollow tiles. This problem exists due to incorrect installation and you’d want to fix it because a hollow tile may mean it is less stable and more prone to popping over time.

Simply use a coin or metal rod to detect for inconsistent sounds when you knock lightly against your tiles.

2. Check for Scratches

Next, we scrutinised the surfaces for scratches, cracks or stains. Remember to equip yourself with a torch light as you might not have activated electrical supply in the home during the defect-checking period and as such certain areas in the home might be dark.

3. Check Kitchen Countertop for Stains

Check for tough stains, scratches or discolouration. You’d want to file these defects for cleaning or polishing as there could be stubborn spots, which require industrial cleaners to completely remove them.

4. Check drain covers and stainless steel fittings

Take note of rust on fittings, especially in the kitchen and bathrooms. We were unfortunate to have spotted a rusty drain cover and oven door, but they should be as good as new once defects are fixed!

5. Check door frames (and carpentry)

Remember to bring a ladder to your new apartment too, as you’d want to check that the top of your door frames are properly sealed.

If gaps are spotted, request for a new layer of sealant to be applied so dust, insects and humidity will not penetrate into these exposed crevices.

For condominiums, you would have kitchen cabinet carpentry installed upon key collection. Make use of that ladders to climb up and inspect every door hinge, exterior and interior laminate of the cabinets and wardrobe carpentry.

6. Check windows and glass doors

Take note of scratches or cracks on windows in all rooms, as well as glass doors such as those in the shower area in your bathroom, or at the balcony.

Not just about aesthetics, existing cracks or defects in these areas may pose danger in your home, so be sure to check thoroughly.

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