'I have to take out a pail every time it rains': Serangoon HDB residents say ceilings leaking for years

SINGAPORE — For more than 1.5 years, Eden Tan has had to reach for a pail each time it rains because water would start dripping from the ceiling of her Serangoon Housing Board flat.

Shortly after Tan moved into the four-room flat on the top floor in 2022, she noticed that the ceiling would leak when it pours.

Roof repair works by the town council have not fixed the issue, which has become worse amid the recent rainy weather. It has caused mould to grow inside one of the bedrooms, and parts of the plaster on the ceiling to crumble off.

"I always have a pail in the affected room to catch the murky water, but it gets full in a few hours. This entire ordeal has been very distressing for my family and we are desperate for it to be fixed," said the 36-year-old housewife.

Tan, who lives in the flat with her husband, five-year-old son and eight-year-old daughter, is one of at least four households in the same block that have had to live with leaky ceilings.

She told The Straits Times she is worried that the leaks could potentially be dangerous if water drips onto electronics at home.

Her husband sleeps in the affected room — which used to be their son's bedroom — and his eczema has worsened because of the mould and flaking plaster, she said.

Their son now sleeps with Tan in the master bedroom, which is unaffected.

The Serangoon Avenue 4 block was built in 1985, and some residents say the roof started leaking years ago. They would report the issue to the town council, but the issue would persist despite repeated repairs on the roof.

Town councils are responsible for the maintenance of common property in HDB estates, including rooftops of public housing blocks.

Another resident, a part-time tutor who wanted to be known only as Mdm Tan, said her ceiling has leaked for most of the 20 years she has lived in the block.

When ST visited the unit on Nov 25, several patches of water damage and mould could be seen on the ceiling of her three-room flat.

"I have to take out a pail every time it rains, but I'm used to it already," said Mdm Tan, 58.

Retired factory worker Lim Noy, 70, who has lived in the block for more than 30 years, said the water seepage issue cropped up in the last decade and would worsen during rainy periods.

She added that her 70-year-old husband had patched up the water damage in their ceiling about four times over the last three years.

Another resident, Joe Auyong, 47, said she has gone through three sofas in five years as a result of the dripping water. She has been placing waterproof covers over her furniture.

"I thought about moving out, but housing prices have been getting steeper," said the retired designer. She added that the mould has affected the health of her parents, who are in their 70s.

Asked about the issue, the Aljunied-Hougang Town Council said it has been working to resolve the leaks "within the shortest possible time".

It said that it faced challenges in identifying the source of water seepage, as there can be multiple ingress points, and water can travel along various paths within walls before becoming visible.

"Thus, in some cases of seepage, it may take several repair attempts before the problem is rectified," it added.

The town council said it is also working to expedite reroofing works in all its divisions, including in the affected block.

Tan said that even if the external roof is repaired, the family has to fork out the cost of repairing their ceiling as they do not have insurance coverage on that.

"My husband is the sole breadwinner and we paid for this house with all our cash. We don't have the money to fix this," she added.

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.