Reasons for Sharp Increase in Popping Floor Tiles at Some HDB Flats

24 Mr Liang Eng Hwa asked the Minister for National Development what are the causes of the recent sharp rises in the popping and cracking of floor tiles at some HDB flats and how does HDB assist residents faced with such situations.

The Second Minister for National Development (Mr Desmond Lee) (for the Minister for National Development): Mr Speaker, Sir, tiles, like all fittings, fixtures and finishes in a flat, are subject to wear and tear over time. They may dislodge due to various reasons, such as differential thermal expansion and contraction of tiles, or the natural deterioration of the bond between the tiles and the screed surface. All these can cause a loss of adhesion between the tiles and the screed surface, and the dislodgement of tiles.

We have observed a higher number of reported dislodged tiles cases in the first half of January 2018. This was likely due to the unusually cold weather over a prolonged period and temperature fluctuations. The weather changes could have caused the tiles and the substrate to contract and expand at different rates, resulting in the loss of adhesion between the tiles and the substrate. This phenomenon is not unique to Singapore and has also occurred in countries, such as Taiwan and Hong Kong. Among the cases reported in Housing and Development Board (HDB) flats, close to half involved tiles installed by the flat owners during their own renovations.

Flat owners are responsible for maintenance of their own flats, including repairs for general wear and tear. In private developments, developers generally only rectify dislodged tiles during the one-year defects liability period (DLP). Some developers may offer repair for dislodged tiles for a slightly longer period, for example, three years, but those are generally done on a goodwill basis.

HDB’s practice has been more generous. Besides helping flat owners repair dislodged tiles originally provided by HDB during the one-year DLP, it also offers goodwill repairs for such dislodged tiles for up to 15 years. For cases beyond 15 years, flat owners will need to do their own replacement of tiles. Nonetheless, HDB will do its best to assist, for example, by helping the owners with the removal and disposal of the affected tiles and, if necessary, laying protective sheets over the affected areas.

HDB has also worked with the Renovation Contractors and Materials Suppliers Association to compile a list of contractors whom residents can choose to engage on a private basis. These are contractors who are able to repair the dislodged tiles at reasonable rates.

Grassroots organisations and Community Development Councils (CDCs) can also make use of existing local schemes to assist local residents who need financial help in this regard.

Mr Speaker: Mr Liang Eng Hwa.

Mr Liang Eng Hwa (Holland-Bukit Timah): Mr Speaker, Sir, first and foremost, I want to thank HDB for extending the Goodwill Repair Scheme to flats up to 15 years. In all fairness, this is a generous goodwill offer.

I have two further questions for the Second Minister. I do have higher reported cases as well in the first two weeks of January. In fact, it was more than 30 cases reported. I do notice that certain clusters of flats have more cases. I want to ask the Second Minister if, indeed, it is a batch problem, whether it is a problem with quality or workmanship. Therefore, if that is the case, would HDB be flexible to extend that goodwill repair to those cases, even though it is after 15 years?

Secondly, I hope the Second Minister can understand that when residents see the tiles popping up on the floor, it can be quite a traumatic experience. And the next shocking truth is, of course, to know the costs of repair, which can range from $5,000 to $10,000. For a three- to four-room flat, with a household income of $2,000 to $4,000 a month, that is a major outlay. If they are not lucky enough to have the tiles pop up before 15 years, they have to go and find ways to find cash to pay for it.

So, would the HDB look at other ways to assist residents who are faced with such problems, because we do not want them to resort to licensed or unlicensed moneylending to fix the tiles. Can HDB facilitate some kind of financing scheme, very much like how other agencies have done, like the small and medium enterprises financing or the Study Loan where we work with the financial institutions to do it?

Mr Speaker: Can the Member keep it succinct, please.

Mr Liang Eng Hwa: Given that HDB does have the flat as a collateral, would the Second Minister consider this?

Mr Desmond Lee: Mr Speaker, Sir, for the first question, if the Member can flag out the specific blocks, we will get HDB to look at the causes or look at the popping tiles and see what might have caused it and we will then follow up appropriately.

On second question, as I said earlier, if local residents face financial difficulties in dealing with popping tiles beyond the 15-year period, then they can approach their local CDCs and their local Grassroots Advisors to see if there are schemes that can assist them. There are some CDCs that already have such schemes in place and these have been of great help to residents.

12.30 pm

Mr Speaker: Order. End of Question Time.

[Pursuant to Standing Order No 22(3), provided that Members had not asked for questions standing in their names to be postponed to a later Sitting day or withdrawn, written answers to questions not reached by the end of Question Time are reproduced in the Appendix.]