Bishan Ridges key collection: a defect check plan for your flat
Bishan Ridges is one of the biggest BTO projects in a mature estate in recent years: about 1,500 flats in six blocks along Bishan Street 13 and 14, with 2-room Flexi, 3-room and 4-room flats. It was launched in the November 2020 BTO exercise, and owners are now getting their keys. If that's you, here's how to check your flat properly on the first visit.
The deadline that matters
Report defects to your Building Service Centre (BSC) within one month of collecting your keys, and before your renovation starts. After that you still have the 12-month defects liability period, but it's much easier to get things fixed when they're found early and clearly before your contractor has touched the flat.
What's worth extra attention in a high-rise flat
The blocks here go from 22 to 39 storeys, so many flats are high up with big windows. A few checks matter more than usual:
- Windows: open and close every panel, check the locks and the rubber seals, and look for gaps or scratches on the glass and frames. On high floors, wind finds every gap.
- Window and service yard edges: look for cracks in the plaster and water marks on the sill below the window. They can point to a seal problem.
- Floor tiles: tap every tile with a coin. A dull, hollow sound means a hollow tile, the most common defect in new flats. See how to check for hollow tiles.
- Floor traps: pour water near each floor trap in the bathrooms and service yard and watch it drain with no pooling. See the floor trap drainage test.
- Doors and the main gate: every door should close without rubbing, and every lock should turn smoothly with each key.
- Sockets and switches: bring a phone charger and try every socket. More in the electrical check.
A simple plan for the first visit
- Pack the night before: painter's tape, a marker, a coin, a bottle of water, a charger and a charged phone. Full list: what to bring on key collection day.
- Go room by room. In each room: floor, walls, ceiling, doors, windows, sockets, then anything with water.
- Number each defect on tape (#01, #02…), then take one close-up and one wide photo with the number showing. The BSC uses the numbers to find each spot.
- Write one clean list and submit it within the month. Check the repairs when they're done.
Every room and what to check is in the room-by-room BTO defect checklist. Prefer paper? There's a free printable version with tick boxes and number labels.
After the first month
Some defects, like tiles that turn hollow or hairline cracks, only show up later. Do a second round before the 12 months are up: the one-year DLP check. Renovating? Check the contractor's work before the final payment with the renovation handover checklist.
Other projects collecting keys around now are on the BTO key collection list.