Heart of Yew Tee key collection: checking a 2-room Flexi flat for a senior

Heart of Yew Tee is the small senior-only BTO in Choa Chu Kang, next to Yew Tee MRT, Yew Tee Point and Yew Tee Square. It was launched in the November 2021 BTO exercise with just 68 2-room Flexi flats for buyers aged 55 and above, on short leases of 15 to 45 years. The flats sit in one 10-storey residential block built together with a 6-storey commercial block. HDB's estimated completion was September 2026, and BTO trackers now show it as fully built, so key collection is close or under way. Your own HDB letter is the date that counts.

The deadline that matters

Report defects to your Building Service Centre (BSC) within one month of collecting your keys, and before any renovation or furniture delivery. The 12-month defects liability period covers problems that show up later, but the first month is when it's easiest to show a defect was there from the start.

Checking for your parents? Go together

Many owners here will be helped by a son, daughter or friend on key collection day. That works well if you split the job:

• One person tests, one person records. The owner opens every door, window and tap, the helper tapes the number and takes the photos.
• Let the owner try everything themselves. A gate lock that's stiff for you may be impossible for them. If something is hard to use because it's faulty, that's worth reporting.
• Agree who submits the list. Check with the BSC how they want the list sent and who they'll contact for repair appointments, so messages don't go to the wrong phone.

Senior-friendly checks that matter more here

Short-lease 2-room Flexi flats come with senior-friendly fittings such as grab bars. Check what your flat actually has, and treat anything loose or uneven as a defect, because these are the things that cause falls.

• Grab bars: pull firmly on each one. It shouldn't move, creak or have cracked tiles around the screws.
• Floors: tap every tile with a coin. A dull, hollow sound means a hollow tile, which can crack later and leave a sharp edge. Also look for chipped tiles and edges that stick up at doorways. See how to check for hollow tiles.
• Bathroom: pour water on the floor and watch it run to the floor trap. Water that pools stays slippery. Run the shower and tap, flush, and look under the basin for drips. See the bathroom check and the floor trap test.
• Doors and gate: every door should open and close without forcing, and lock with each key you were given. See doors, gate and locks.
• Lights and sockets: switch on every light and test every socket with a phone charger. A dead light in the bathroom or corridor matters more at night. See the electrical check.

Know what you opted for

2-room Flexi buyers choose optional items at booking, such as flooring and internal doors. If you didn't take an item, it won't be there, and that isn't a defect. If you paid for it, check it as carefully as everything else. Look at your booking papers before you go.

Living above and next to shops

The homes share a development with a commercial block, so check the windows carefully. Close and lock every panel, look for gaps or loose rubber seals, and check the sealant around each frame. A window that doesn't shut properly lets in noise and rain. Photograph any water marks on the sill or the wall below. Don't lean out to check the outside of the frame. More in how to check windows at key collection.

Getting there and what to bring

Yew Tee MRT on the North-South Line is right next to the site, and Yew Tee Point is close by if you need a drink or a break. A small flat doesn't take long: give yourself about an hour, in daylight. Pack painter's tape, a marker, a coin, a bottle of water for the drain test, and a charged phone. Full list: what to bring on key collection day.

A simple plan for the first visit

1. Go room by room. In each room: floor, walls, ceiling, doors, windows, sockets, then anything with water.
2. 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.
3. Mark them on a floor plan. A quick sketch with the numbers on it helps the contractor find everything in one visit.
4. Write one clean list, grouped by room, and submit it within the month. Be there, or have your helper there, when the repairs are done, and report anything that wasn't fixed.

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. Or use the free KeyDay app on the helper's phone: it numbers each defect, keeps the photos with it and marks it on the floor plan. How to hand the list in: how to report BTO defects to the BSC.

After the first month

Tiles can turn hollow and hairline cracks can appear over the first year. Do a second round before the 12 months are up: the one-year DLP check.

Also collecting keys in Choa Chu Kang around now: the Keat Hong Grange check. All projects: the full BTO key collection list.