65% of HDB BTO homeowners report defects during liability period over past 5 years
Minister for National Development Chee Hong Tat tells Parliament that 65% of new HDB BTO flat owners reported defects over the past five years, with over 95% classified as minor and rectified within 14 working days.
- 65% of BTO homeowners reported defects during the 1-year Defects Liability Period on average over past five years.
- HDB scored an average of 95/100 on the Construction Quality Assessment System, matching or exceeding private developments.
- No year-by-year defect reporting breakdown was provided; HDB pledges continued workmanship improvements.
An average of 65 per cent of new Housing and Development Board (HDB) Build-To-Order (BTO) flat owners reported defects during their one-year Defects Liability Period (DLP) over the past five years, Minister for National Development Chee Hong Tat disclosed in a written reply to Parliament on 3 March 2026.
The figure was revealed in response to a question from Workers' Party MP for Aljunied GRC Mr Fadli Fawzi, who sought both the rate of defect reporting and details of steps HDB is taking to reduce defects before keys are handed over to buyers.
Mr Fadli had asked for a year-by-year breakdown of the defect reporting rate over the last five years. The Minister did not provide the requested annual figures, instead presenting a five-year average. No explanation was given for the absence of a year-on-year breakdown, leaving it unclear whether defect reporting rates have trended upward, downward, or remained stable over the period in question.
Mr Chee sought to contextualise the overall defect picture by pointing to HDB's performance on the Construction Quality Assessment System (CQAS), an industry-wide scoring framework.
He noted that HDB "has consistently achieved an average score of 95 out of 100 over the past five years" on the system, adding that "this quality score is either comparable to or exceeds the scores achieved by many private residential developments over the same period."
The comparison with private housing is significant, as public perceptions of HDB quality have at times been unfavourably measured against that of private developers.
On the nature of the defects reported, Mr Chee offered reassurance that the overwhelming majority were minor in character.
"More than 95% of the reported cases involve minor defects such as scratches, alignment or paintwork," the Minister stated, noting that nearly all such cases are rectified within 14 working days.
The Minister further noted that these repairs are often carried out concurrently with homeowners' own renovation works, before residents move into their flats — a sequencing that, the Ministry suggested, minimises disruption to new owners.
The one-year DLP, Mr Chee explained, is a standard feature of all new flat handovers and provides a formal channel through which BTO buyers can flag outstanding construction issues to their contractor.
The period functions as a structured post-handover quality assurance window, ensuring that defects not caught before key collection can still be addressed at no cost to the homeowner. The Minister's reply did not address what mechanisms, if any, exist for homeowners who surface defects after the DLP has lapsed.
Mr Fadli's second question — concerning what steps HDB is taking to reduce the incidence of defects before keys are handed over — drew a more forward-looking response.
Mr Chee said HDB "will continue to work closely with construction partners to keep high standards of workmanship and quality, and to explore ways to further improve the move-in experience for flat buyers."
The Minister did not announce any specific new initiatives, inspection protocols, or contractual changes directed at reducing pre-handover defect rates, leaving the scope and timeline of any planned improvements unspecified.
The exchange in Parliament touches on a persistently sensitive subject for HDB flat buyers.
Defect complaints — ranging from water seepage and hairline cracks to misaligned tiles and faulty fixtures — have been a recurring feature of public discourse around BTO launches, particularly as wait times for new flats have lengthened following pandemic-era construction delays.
HDB has in recent years taken steps to tighten quality oversight, including the deployment of digital inspection tools and greater scrutiny of contractor performance, though the pace of improvement has drawn mixed reviews from homeowners and housing advocates alike.
The kinds of defects that homeowners encounter upon key collection are illustrated in on-site documentation shared by home renovation channel Reno Scout, which recorded its findings during the first day of takeover of a new five-room BTO flat.
The footage captures a range of issues spotted across the unit, offering a ground-level view of the defect landscape that the DLP process is designed to address.
