That's not what we ordered: Couple finds numerous cracks and defects in their 4-room BTO

Five and a half years is a long time to wait for anything you've ordered.

A couple, who goes by Home.swee.home on TikTok, thought their four-room Build-To-Order (BTO) HDB flat was worth the wait until they realised it wasn't exactly in perfect condition. 

Being greeted by a vacant house is of course to be expected but what this couple found were numerous cracks and faults. 

They gave a rundown of the defects in a TikTok video that was posted on Tuesday (Aug 16). The 26-second clip has over 211,000 views at the time of writing.

Though the video was shared just a couple of days ago, the incident actually happened much earlier as Home.swee.home mentioned the defects in their new home in an Instagram post in January 2022.

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Fortunately all the defects found in Home.swee.home's BTO flat has since been rectified by HDB, the couple confirmed in a comment. 

In the video, it initially seemed like their four-room BTO was in good condition until Home.swee.home revealed what was pointed out by their defect scan team.

While there were seemingly minute faults like a chip on the main door or stained switches, there were also a couple of other more notable defects: a loose door handle, squeaky windows and a crack in the glass, to name a few.

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Among the defects were hollow spots in walls of their bomb shelter.

It was the room with the most number of hollow spots which was a bit of an irony to Home.swee.home as the room is meant to be "made of the thickest and strongest walls".

Responding to some netizens' queries on how the hollow spots were fixed, Home.swee.home shared that HDB basically "made some holes" before injecting cement into it, patching it up and giving it a fresh lick of paint. 

"All these defects can be fixed by Building Service Centre (BSC) for free! So make full use of it!" the couple added.

For the uninitiated, once defects are spotted, homeowners should book a joint inspection with BSC staff, who will then arrange for rectification works. 

In the case of Home.swee.home, the entire rectification process took a total of five weeks.

In an Instagram Story, the couple confirmed that they had hired a professional defect scan team in August 2021, and were only able to start their renovation process in September that year. 

Home.swee.home also clarified that the video was not shared to simply "bash HDB or the contractors" involved in building their home. 

The couple added that it is "common to have defects" and wanted their followers to understand the value of proper checking and getting rectifications settled.

While some netizens were taken aback by the number of defects in the video, the defect scan team apparently told Home.swee.home that they've seen other cases that are "worse".

When AsiaOne reached out to HDB for more information, the public housing authority directed us to the online resources on the one-year Defects Liability Period (DLP) extended to all newly completed HDB flats. 

The DLP is effective from the date of key collection.

During this period, any items in the flat that require rectification will be fixed by HDB. However, it is important that the homeowner report said items within one month of key collection and the start of any renovation work.

HDB says that it will "usually take less than two weeks" to complete the repair works.

If you've recently collected your BTO keys and feel a little overwhelmed as to where to start when checking for defects, you can do a simple check on the walls and floors.

Look out for defects such as cracks or inconsistencies.

Plumbing problems are also something you'd want to clamp down on before they become a major issues.

So, inspect the toilet bowl, sinks and basins in your new home and see if any of the faucets continue to drip, even after they've been turned off.

If you're still a little unsure of what else to inspect, here is a BTO defects checklist that should prove useful to any new homeowner.

ALSO READ: Couple gives up BTO flat selection for a balance flat - here's their journey to creating their timeless dream home

amierul@asiaone.com