The defects liability period (DLP) is the 12 months after you collect your HDB keys when HDB pays to fix construction faults in your new flat for free. Miss it, or start renovating before you report, and a cracked tile, a leaking tap, or a hollow floor becomes your bill instead of the builder's. About 65% of BTO owners flagged defects in their DLP over the past five years, and more than 95% of those were minor issues like scratches and paintwork that HDB cleared within 14 working days. The window is short and the rules around it are unforgiving, so this guide walks through what counts as a defect, how to inspect room by room, how to report, and the longer warranties that outlast the one year.
HDB gives every new flat a 12-month defects liability period that starts the day you collect your keys. Inside that window, HDB's appointed contractor fixes faults caused by defective materials or poor workmanship at no cost to you. Think a tap that drips, a door that won't lock, a wall with seepage stains, or floor tiles that sound hollow when you tap them.
The line that matters is workmanship versus everything else. A scratch on a window frame from the factory is a defect. A scratch you put there moving in a sofa is not. Wear and tear that shows up because you have lived in the flat is on you, and once the 12 months lapse, the HDB Agreement for Lease makes you responsible for keeping every fitting and fixture in good order.
Defects cluster into a handful of areas, and knowing them tells you where to look first when you walk through an empty flat.
Do not start renovation before HDB has cleared your reported defects. This is the single mistake that costs owners the most money. The moment your contractor hacks a wall or lays new flooring, HDB can no longer tell which faults came from construction and which came from your renovation, so liability quietly shifts to you.
That is why HDB and most renovation guides push you to inspect and report while the flat is still bare. An empty flat is also far easier to check than one with a wardrobe blocking the wall you needed to examine. If you are budgeting the move, it helps to map your defect inspection and your renovation timeline together so the first never collides with the second. Our key collection to renovation guide sets out the order, and the renovation cost calculator gives you a figure to plan around once defects are signed off.
You do not need a professional to find most defects. A phone with a timestamp camera, a torch, masking tape in two colours, and a small ball for testing floor slope will catch the bulk of what HDB will pay to fix. Tap tiles to listen for hollow spots, shine light across walls at a low angle to expose uneven plaster, and run every tap and flush every cistern.
Mark each defect with tape, photograph it, and number it against a written list so the contractor finds exactly what you flagged. Two colours help: one for cosmetic issues, one for anything that affects safety or water-tightness.
A thorough DIY check costs nothing but a few hours. Paid inspectors add thermal imaging for hidden damp, moisture meters, a written report, and sometimes liaison with the Building Service Centre on your behalf. Whether that is worth it depends on how confident you are and how much a missed seepage problem would cost you after the window shuts.
Prices below are typical market ranges as of June 2026 and vary by flat size and the depth of report you want. Treat them as 'from' figures and confirm with the provider, since defect-inspection pricing is not regulated.
| Option | Typical cost | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| DIY | Free | Household tools, your own time, basic photo log |
| Professional (basic) | From around $200-$300 | Visual room-by-room check, written defect report |
| Professional (premium) | From around $400-$600 | Thermal imaging, moisture detection, photo report, BSC liaison |
You report to the Building Service Centre (BSC) on-site at your project, or online through HDB's virtual BSC portal. A defects feedback form usually comes in your welcome kit at key collection. HDB advises flagging items early, within the first week to a month, and crucially before any renovation begins.
After you submit, the BSC arranges a joint inspection to confirm each item, assigns a contractor, and carries out repairs. HDB says minor defects are usually cleared in under two weeks, with longer timelines only when materials need to be sourced. You secure the flat with your own lock between visits.
The 12-month DLP is not your only protection. HDB extends separate warranties on the faults that are expensive and dangerous, and these run for years beyond key collection. They sit outside the general DLP and you claim them the same way, through the BSC or your HDB branch.
There is an important catch. Tamper with the structure or the waterproofing and you can void these warranties. Change your bathroom floor tiles or alter the waterproofing membrane and HDB can decline a future ceiling-leak or seepage claim; meddle with structural elements and the spalling-concrete and structural cover can lapse too. If you are weighing how far to renovate, our BTO renovation coverage explainer covers where the lines sit.
| Issue | Warranty period | Voided if you... |
|---|---|---|
| Ceiling leaks (kitchen/toilet) | 5 years | Change floor tiles or tamper with waterproofing |
| External wall seepage | 5 years | Tamper with the external waterproofing system |
| Spalling concrete | 10 years | Tamper with structural elements |
The DLP applies to new flats bought direct from HDB. Buy a resale flat and there is no fresh defects liability period; you take the unit as inspected, which is why a careful viewing and the option-to-purchase checks matter so much. If you are still choosing between routes, the trade-offs are laid out in our BTO versus resale comparison.
What if a defect HDB fixed during the DLP comes back afterwards? In Parliament, the Ministry of National Development has confirmed HDB assesses such cases and will help on a case-by-case basis, and the multi-year warranties above continue to cover ceiling leaks, seepage and spalling concrete well past the 12-month mark. Structural and latent defects, like a crack inside a pillar, are also looked at individually even after the general DLP closes.
The defects liability period for a new HDB flat runs 12 months from your key collection date. Within that window HDB's contractor repairs construction and workmanship faults for free, after which you become responsible for maintenance.
You should not. Once renovation begins, HDB cannot separate construction defects from renovation damage, so coverage effectively shifts to you. Inspect the bare flat, report every defect, and only start renovating after HDB has cleared them.
No. The defects liability period only applies to new flats bought directly from HDB. Resale buyers take the flat as inspected, so a thorough viewing before exercising the option to purchase is essential to avoid inheriting costly faults.
HDB gives longer warranties on serious faults: 5 years for ceiling leaks and external wall seepage, and 10 years for spalling concrete. These continue past the 12-month DLP but can be voided if you tamper with waterproofing or structural elements.
This is general financial information for Singapore, not personal financial advice. Figures change — verify current rates against the official sources above before acting. See our full disclaimer.