Written Answer by Ministry of National Development on whether the number of complaints made by EC buyers to HDB against their respective EC developers within the first 12 months of getting their keys has risen over the past five years

Feb 2, 2021

Mr Darryl David: To ask the Minister for National Development (a) whether the number of complaints made by Executive Condominium (EC) buyers to HDB against their respective EC developers within the first 12 months of getting their keys has risen over the past five years; (b) how does HDB facilitate disputes between EC buyers and their developers; and (c) whether developers are blacklisted from bidding for future EC projects if they are found to have delivered poor quality in their previous developments. 

Answer:

Executive Condominium (EC) buyers purchase their ECs directly from the private developers and enter into a Sale and Purchase (S&P) Agreement with the developers.  Under the S&P Agreement, the EC developer is responsible for all defects within the development during the 12-month Defects Liability Period.  The EC developer is also contractually obliged to attend to all feedback from buyers on the design, finishing, workmanship or other concerns pertaining to the development, and to respond to the buyers accordingly.

As EC buyers generally give feedback on defects directly to the EC developer, HDB does not have records of the number of feedback and complaints received.  Nevertheless, when HDB receives any feedback from EC buyers, they will be conveyed to the EC developer for the necessary follow-up.

All EC developments are required to submit an application to be assessed under the Construction Quality Assessment System (CONQUAS).  To safeguard the interest of home buyers, BCA has introduced an additional tier under CONQUAS in Oct 2019 to impose 100% checks on all locations within all units of the development if a developer has at least one private residential development in the past 3 years with a significant number of major defects.