Review of HDB's Goodwill Repair Assistance Scheme
Ministry of National DevelopmentSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns whether the Housing and Development Board (HDB) should bear the full cost of repairing ceiling leaks or adjust cost-sharing for renovation-related defects. Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar raised these suggestions, but Minister Lawrence Wong clarified that maintenance of flat interiors and party structures is the owners' responsibility. Under the Goodwill Repair Assistance scheme, HDB pays 50% of repair costs for wear and tear, with the remaining half split between upper- and lower-floor owners. Minister Lawrence Wong stated HDB will not bear full costs to ensure owners remain responsible for their property’s upkeep. He added that if investigations prove renovations caused a leak, the upper-floor owner must bear the full cost of rectification.
Transcript
20 Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar asked the Minister for National Development whether the Ministry will consider reviewing the Goodwill Repair Assistance Scheme to (i) have HDB bear the full cost of repairs for ceiling leaks/structural defects resulting from normal wear and tear or (ii) have only the unit owner who had carried out internal renovation works that may have led to the ceiling leaks, to co-share the cost of the goodwill repairs with HDB.
Mr Lawrence Wong: Flat owners are responsible for the maintenance of the interior of their flats. The repair of leaks in the party structure (that is, the floor slab between flats) is a joint responsibility between the upper- and lower-floor flat owners. Hence, when there is a leak, both upper- and lower-floor flat owners will need to liaise with each other to investigate and carry out repairs.
Notwithstanding, the Housing and Development Board (HDB) does offer assistance to affected flat owners through the Goodwill Repair Assistance (GRA) 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. There is no plan for HDB to bear the full cost of repairs under the GRA scheme, as this would remove the responsibility of flat owners for the maintenance and upkeep of their flat.
GRA provides assistance to flat owners to repair ceiling leaks and spalling concrete due to natural wear and tear. For cases where investigations ascertain that leaks are due to renovations carried out at the upper floor flat, the upper floor flat owner will be fully responsible for rectifying the leak and will have to bear the full cost of repair.