Oral answer by Ministry of National Development on water seepage cases in HDB units

Apr 8, 2025

Question No: 7383, 7384, 7412, 7413

Questions by: Ms Carrie Tan and Mr Liang Eng Hwa

Ms Carrie Tan: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) how many cases of complex water seepage cases has the Housing and Development Board (HDB) received on a weekly basis in the past 12 months; and (b) what is the current staff strength and number of engineers within HDB who are responsible for assisting with rectification of complex water seepage issues.

Ms Carrie Tan: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) what is the current expected operating timeline for Housing and Development Board (HDB) engineers to respond and conduct joint visits to residents' homes to get accurate diagnosis of complex water seepage cases; and (b) what measures or technological enhancements will HDB be adopting to enhance the capability and capacity of its engineers to work more effectively with Town Councils to resolve these cases.

Mr Liang Eng Hwa: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) whether there has been a surge in the number of reported external water seepage incidents that occur in HDB flats during the recent March monsoon raining season; and (b) whether HDB is monitoring and rendering assistance to the Town Councils that are attending to such cases.

Mr Liang Eng Hwa: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) whether there is an update on the implementation of the improved diagnosis methods using better scanning technology to accurately pinpoint the root causes of external wall seepages; (b) if so, what are the results of the initial trials conducted by HDB; and (c) whether implementation of the improved methods can be expedited to help Town Councils rectify external wall seepage cases.

Answer:

In 2024, HDB assisted Town Councils (TCs) and flat owners with a total of 859 complex water seepage cases. Such cases include water seepage from various sources, such as from the external wall or from the flat above.

TCs are responsible for the maintenance of the external walls of HDB flats as they are part of common property. Residents who encounter water seepage from external walls in their flat typically report it to the TC managing their estate. Where residents report such cases to HDB, HDB will refer these cases to the respective TC for follow-up. Based on the number of cases that HDB received, it did not observe a surge in March 2025. Notwithstanding, HDB has received feedback from some TCs that the number of external water seepage cases typically increases during the monsoon season. HDB will continue to support TCs in resolving these cases.

For complex cases involving external wall seepage, each HDB Zone’s dedicated team for handling repairs management will support TCs by conducting joint inspections and providing technical advice so that TCs can identify the root causes and carry out repairs expeditiously. This is typically within one week after the TC approaches HDB, subject to the availability of the flat owner and TC staff.

It is important for TCs to build up expertise in dealing with external wall seepage. To support this, HDB has been conducting regular training for TCs, and has made available a training video on the diagnosis and repair of external wall seepage, to further level up TC staff’s technical competency.

Flat owners are responsible for the maintenance of the interior of their flats, including the repair of leaks in the shared structure between units. HDB assists flat owners in resolving ceiling leaks through the Goodwill Repair Assistance scheme, where HDB pays 50% of the ceiling leak repair cost, while the remaining 50% is shared equally between the upper- and lower-floor flat owners.

HDB is constantly on the lookout for better and more effective maintenance methods and equipment. For example, HDB is working with industry partners and research institutes to develop better ways to address maintenance issues, especially those encountered in our older estates. This includes an ongoing trial at 70 flats island-wide on the use of better scanning technology which has the capability to scan through concrete to detect causes of seepage. Similar to an x-ray machine, this allows the inspection team to see beneath the surface and trace the root cause of the seepage. HDB will then monitor and assess if the technology can be scaled up for widespread use, including use by TCs to more effectively diagnose and resolve more complex water seepage cases upfront. If the trial is successful, HDB will share more details on the plans to scale up.