New Reporter
07-08-23, 09:31
Frustrations mount over defects popping up in brand-new condos
Aug 06, 2023
WHEN Frankie Soh first received the keys to his newly built three-bedroom condominium about a month ago, he presumed that it would be sufficiently tidy and free of any major defects. Instead, he was met with cracks, leaks, clogged pipes and more.
“I expected some minor defects – those I can close one eye – but I had hoped there would be nothing major that would require a lot of work,” said the 40-year-old.
Like Soh, some homeowners are growing frustrated with defects popping up in their brand-new condos. But experts say this might be a case of mismatched expectations between buyers and developers.
Tan Wee Kwang, founder of defect inspection company Absolute Inspection, said defects are not uncommon in new developments. In fact, every condo unit that the company has inspected since it started business in 2015 has had some sort of workmanship flaw, he added.
Common problems include poor finishes, such as scratches or dents on aluminium window frames, timber door panels and frames, as well as on wardrobes and cabinets. Some also have functionality issues – which Tan noted is “less common” – such as water ponding in wet areas, leaky pipes, hollow tiles, loose wire connections in power points, water seepage on facade walls, and locking issues for doors or windows.
“Once in a while, we also come across signs of workers’ oversight,” Tan said. “For example, electrical points or heater switches being installed the wrong way up on walls, appliances not connected to a power source, or missing window gaskets.”
Jay Ng from Uncle Defect, another defect inspection company, noted that new condo units tend to have more faults than built-to-order public housing flats by virtue of them having more fittings, from wardrobes and bathroom fixtures to air-conditioners and even dishwashers.
“That means there’s more of a chance for things to go wrong,” he said.
Inspectors charge between S$200 and S$1,000 for a defect report, depending on the size of the property. They use stickers to mark out defects for rectification.
Smaller units spanning around 500 square feet may end up with 80 to 100 stickers, while larger units, such as four or five-bedroom ones, may get around 300 to 400.
The Business Times (BT) understands that some projects even have units with up to 1,000 stickers. However, not every alleged defect may be genuine.
“Not everything is considered a defect,” said Ng. “It’s hard to quantify – some are bad workmanship, some are unsightly and design flaws, or sometimes it’s just a personal preference.”
Although some homeowners claim that there has been a rise in defects post-pandemic, perhaps as a result of rushed jobs as developers grapple with construction delays, experts say that may not actually be the case.
“We do not see a clear trend suggesting that the overall construction quality has deteriorated over the past two to three years,” said Tan.
“Having said that, we do observe more signs of rushed work and workers’ oversights in units being handed over to homeowners. For example, incomplete painting of walls and ceilings, or the door lockset or shower set not being installed.”
Both Absolute Inspection and Uncle Defect have also noticed a jump in demand for defect inspection services since the pandemic ended – primarily due to a surge in project completions post-pandemic, and an increase in awareness among homeowners of construction quality and flaws.
Ng said he has been receiving more requests for inspections at new projects such as Oxley Holdings’ Affinity at Serangoon and Riverfront Residences, UOL Group’s Avenue South Residence, as well as Kajima Development and Singapore Press Holdings’ The Woodleigh Residences.
One homeowner at Avenue South Residence, who declined to be named, noted dents and scratches on doors, rubbish left on the balcony, and steel beams being visible within the concrete.
Soh, a homeowner at Affinity, said some neighbours have also complained about leaky air-conditioners, cracked windows and soft-closing wardrobe doors that were not working properly.
https://i.imgur.com/xyRCAoM.jpg
There is a range of major and minor defects at Frankie Soh’s new three-bedroom condo – from leaky pipes and a cracked window to poor cabinetry work and water ponding on the ledge.
https://i.imgur.com/lT6jSkj.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/yXLfyon.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/dZLKiuz.jpg
But another homeowner at Affinity, who recently completed her defects check, said the condition of her three-bedroom condo was “mostly okay”. “It was just dirty, but understandable considering the construction works,” she said.
Managing defects
“For condos with many units – a few hundred to 1,000-over units – even if the margin of error for serious defects is just 1 per cent, it will also mean that quite a number of units would face serious issues, such as water seepage, concealed pipe leaks, extensive tile hollowness, or power trips for appliances,” said Absolute Inspection’s Tan.
“Hence, it is not uncommon to find serious defects in some units of any condo.”
Sometimes, it is consistency of workmanship rather than major faults that is at issue.
A check by BT of five units of different types in Affinity and Riverfront Residences also showed that the majority of defects are minor with easy fixes.
These include paint splatters or patchy paint work; chips and dents on surfaces such as the wall, parquet flooring and door or door frame; loose light switches; and a jammed door lock.
For projects to get their temporary occupation permit, which certifies that the building is safe for occupation, they need to meet Building and Construction Authority (BCA) and other agency requirements.
Under the BCA Construction Quality Assessment System (Conquas) programme, the structural, mechanical and engineering, and architectural works of a project are assessed and then assigned a score out of 100, based on the percentage of items checked that met standards.
The project is then rated under a banding system of 1 to 6, with Band 1 being the best. Results are published in BCA’s Quality Housing Portal.
The banding also takes into account the distribution of defects from complaints raised during the defects liability period (DLP). Typically 12 months, the DLP is when developers are responsible for any flaws that occur in the units, the project and common property.
Within that period, homebuyers can report faults due to defective workmanship or materials not being in line with what was promised in the sale and purchase agreement, and have them rectified by the developer at its own cost.
The Conquas bands for Affinity, Riverfront Residences and Avenue South Residence are still under assessment, but Oxley Holdings said it is confident in doing well for its projects, Affinity and Riverfront Residences.
Besides individual projects, BCA’s banding system also rates developers and builders.
“The intent (of the system) was to make it easier for homebuyers to discern the quality segment that a developer and builder belong to, based on their track record of completed private residential projects in the past six years, before committing to a home purchase,” said the agency.
Currently, Oxley Holdings has been accorded Band 4, based on five projects completed between 2017 and 2021. UOL is in Band 1, based on eight projects completed from 2017 to 2022. There is no track record in the portal for Singapore Press Holdings and Kajima Development.
Developers and their main contractors also conduct their own site inspections throughout the construction process, before keys land in homeowners’ hands.
A UOL spokesperson told BT that site checks and inspections are conducted by “dedicated on-site service teams and project teams” during the construction of projects, in addition to checks by the main contractor.
“For defects management for the units, we have in place a dedicated mobile app whereby residents can lodge their defects (reports) and these will be followed up by the team,” the spokesperson said.
“We also have a head office customer service team, which supports the dedicated on-site service teams. If necessary, this team will attend to residents personally to resolve issues.”
Once defects are flagged to developers, Tan from Absolute Inspection said most issues are rectified “satisfactorily”.
Uncle Defect’s Ng said that anecdotally, some homeowners have claimed that the developers might give a small compensation gift, such as an appliance or furniture. “Not so much monetary compensation.”
For defects discovered after the DLP, “whether the purchaser can succeed in their claim depends on various factors, such as whether the purchaser can prove that the defects were caused by the developer, and not by some other cause, like normal wear and tear”, said Sharon Tay, senior partner and deputy head at law firm Lee & Lee’s real estate and property department.
https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/property/frustrations-mount-over-defects-popping-brand-new-condos
Aug 06, 2023
WHEN Frankie Soh first received the keys to his newly built three-bedroom condominium about a month ago, he presumed that it would be sufficiently tidy and free of any major defects. Instead, he was met with cracks, leaks, clogged pipes and more.
“I expected some minor defects – those I can close one eye – but I had hoped there would be nothing major that would require a lot of work,” said the 40-year-old.
Like Soh, some homeowners are growing frustrated with defects popping up in their brand-new condos. But experts say this might be a case of mismatched expectations between buyers and developers.
Tan Wee Kwang, founder of defect inspection company Absolute Inspection, said defects are not uncommon in new developments. In fact, every condo unit that the company has inspected since it started business in 2015 has had some sort of workmanship flaw, he added.
Common problems include poor finishes, such as scratches or dents on aluminium window frames, timber door panels and frames, as well as on wardrobes and cabinets. Some also have functionality issues – which Tan noted is “less common” – such as water ponding in wet areas, leaky pipes, hollow tiles, loose wire connections in power points, water seepage on facade walls, and locking issues for doors or windows.
“Once in a while, we also come across signs of workers’ oversight,” Tan said. “For example, electrical points or heater switches being installed the wrong way up on walls, appliances not connected to a power source, or missing window gaskets.”
Jay Ng from Uncle Defect, another defect inspection company, noted that new condo units tend to have more faults than built-to-order public housing flats by virtue of them having more fittings, from wardrobes and bathroom fixtures to air-conditioners and even dishwashers.
“That means there’s more of a chance for things to go wrong,” he said.
Inspectors charge between S$200 and S$1,000 for a defect report, depending on the size of the property. They use stickers to mark out defects for rectification.
Smaller units spanning around 500 square feet may end up with 80 to 100 stickers, while larger units, such as four or five-bedroom ones, may get around 300 to 400.
The Business Times (BT) understands that some projects even have units with up to 1,000 stickers. However, not every alleged defect may be genuine.
“Not everything is considered a defect,” said Ng. “It’s hard to quantify – some are bad workmanship, some are unsightly and design flaws, or sometimes it’s just a personal preference.”
Although some homeowners claim that there has been a rise in defects post-pandemic, perhaps as a result of rushed jobs as developers grapple with construction delays, experts say that may not actually be the case.
“We do not see a clear trend suggesting that the overall construction quality has deteriorated over the past two to three years,” said Tan.
“Having said that, we do observe more signs of rushed work and workers’ oversights in units being handed over to homeowners. For example, incomplete painting of walls and ceilings, or the door lockset or shower set not being installed.”
Both Absolute Inspection and Uncle Defect have also noticed a jump in demand for defect inspection services since the pandemic ended – primarily due to a surge in project completions post-pandemic, and an increase in awareness among homeowners of construction quality and flaws.
Ng said he has been receiving more requests for inspections at new projects such as Oxley Holdings’ Affinity at Serangoon and Riverfront Residences, UOL Group’s Avenue South Residence, as well as Kajima Development and Singapore Press Holdings’ The Woodleigh Residences.
One homeowner at Avenue South Residence, who declined to be named, noted dents and scratches on doors, rubbish left on the balcony, and steel beams being visible within the concrete.
Soh, a homeowner at Affinity, said some neighbours have also complained about leaky air-conditioners, cracked windows and soft-closing wardrobe doors that were not working properly.
https://i.imgur.com/xyRCAoM.jpg
There is a range of major and minor defects at Frankie Soh’s new three-bedroom condo – from leaky pipes and a cracked window to poor cabinetry work and water ponding on the ledge.
https://i.imgur.com/lT6jSkj.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/yXLfyon.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/dZLKiuz.jpg
But another homeowner at Affinity, who recently completed her defects check, said the condition of her three-bedroom condo was “mostly okay”. “It was just dirty, but understandable considering the construction works,” she said.
Managing defects
“For condos with many units – a few hundred to 1,000-over units – even if the margin of error for serious defects is just 1 per cent, it will also mean that quite a number of units would face serious issues, such as water seepage, concealed pipe leaks, extensive tile hollowness, or power trips for appliances,” said Absolute Inspection’s Tan.
“Hence, it is not uncommon to find serious defects in some units of any condo.”
Sometimes, it is consistency of workmanship rather than major faults that is at issue.
A check by BT of five units of different types in Affinity and Riverfront Residences also showed that the majority of defects are minor with easy fixes.
These include paint splatters or patchy paint work; chips and dents on surfaces such as the wall, parquet flooring and door or door frame; loose light switches; and a jammed door lock.
For projects to get their temporary occupation permit, which certifies that the building is safe for occupation, they need to meet Building and Construction Authority (BCA) and other agency requirements.
Under the BCA Construction Quality Assessment System (Conquas) programme, the structural, mechanical and engineering, and architectural works of a project are assessed and then assigned a score out of 100, based on the percentage of items checked that met standards.
The project is then rated under a banding system of 1 to 6, with Band 1 being the best. Results are published in BCA’s Quality Housing Portal.
The banding also takes into account the distribution of defects from complaints raised during the defects liability period (DLP). Typically 12 months, the DLP is when developers are responsible for any flaws that occur in the units, the project and common property.
Within that period, homebuyers can report faults due to defective workmanship or materials not being in line with what was promised in the sale and purchase agreement, and have them rectified by the developer at its own cost.
The Conquas bands for Affinity, Riverfront Residences and Avenue South Residence are still under assessment, but Oxley Holdings said it is confident in doing well for its projects, Affinity and Riverfront Residences.
Besides individual projects, BCA’s banding system also rates developers and builders.
“The intent (of the system) was to make it easier for homebuyers to discern the quality segment that a developer and builder belong to, based on their track record of completed private residential projects in the past six years, before committing to a home purchase,” said the agency.
Currently, Oxley Holdings has been accorded Band 4, based on five projects completed between 2017 and 2021. UOL is in Band 1, based on eight projects completed from 2017 to 2022. There is no track record in the portal for Singapore Press Holdings and Kajima Development.
Developers and their main contractors also conduct their own site inspections throughout the construction process, before keys land in homeowners’ hands.
A UOL spokesperson told BT that site checks and inspections are conducted by “dedicated on-site service teams and project teams” during the construction of projects, in addition to checks by the main contractor.
“For defects management for the units, we have in place a dedicated mobile app whereby residents can lodge their defects (reports) and these will be followed up by the team,” the spokesperson said.
“We also have a head office customer service team, which supports the dedicated on-site service teams. If necessary, this team will attend to residents personally to resolve issues.”
Once defects are flagged to developers, Tan from Absolute Inspection said most issues are rectified “satisfactorily”.
Uncle Defect’s Ng said that anecdotally, some homeowners have claimed that the developers might give a small compensation gift, such as an appliance or furniture. “Not so much monetary compensation.”
For defects discovered after the DLP, “whether the purchaser can succeed in their claim depends on various factors, such as whether the purchaser can prove that the defects were caused by the developer, and not by some other cause, like normal wear and tear”, said Sharon Tay, senior partner and deputy head at law firm Lee & Lee’s real estate and property department.
https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/property/frustrations-mount-over-defects-popping-brand-new-condos