Kent Heights key collection: a defect check plan for your flat
Kent Heights is the single-block BTO on Owen Road in Kallang/Whampoa, near Farrer Park MRT. It was launched in the November 2021 BTO exercise with 430 flats in one 32-storey block: 154 2-room Flexi flats and 276 4-room flats, served by an 8-storey multi-storey car park. HDB's estimated completion was the fourth quarter of 2026, and BTO trackers now show December 2026, so key collection letters should be close. Your own HDB letter is the date that counts. 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. The 12-month defects liability period covers problems that appear later, but the first month is when it's easiest to show a defect was there from the start.
One block: compare notes with your stack
Everyone at Kent Heights lives in the same block, and flats in the same stack share the same layout, one above the other. That makes your neighbours useful. If the unit above or below you finds a water stain in the same corner or a window that won't seal, it's worth looking at the same spot in your flat.
- Ask in your residents' chat what people on your stack have found so far, then check those spots first.
- Still report your own. The BSC needs each defect listed for your flat, so don't assume a neighbour's report covers yours.
- Be careful with stains on your ceiling. In a new block, a stain near a bathroom or kitchen is worth a number and a photo even if it looks dry. Say where it is and let the BSC find the cause.
2-room Flexi: a quick check, but which type?
There are 30 Type 1 flats (about 38 sqm) and 124 Type 2 flats (about 48 sqm). Type 2 has a flexible space that can be used for dining, entertainment or a live-in caregiver. Small flats don't take long: give yourself about an hour, in daylight.
- Know what you opted for. Before you go, look at what you chose at booking. If you skipped an optional item such as flooring or internal doors, it won't be there, and that isn't a defect. If you paid for it, check it as carefully as everything else.
- In a small flat, the bathroom is half the job. Run the tap and shower, flush, look under the basin, and pour water near the floor trap to see it drain without pooling. See the bathroom check and the floor trap test.
- Test every socket and switch. With fewer points, one that doesn't work matters more. See the electrical check.
4-room: plan your time
The 4-room flats here are about 92 sqm. Give yourself two hours or more, and bring a second person if you can: one taps and tests, the other tapes and takes photos.
- Tap every tile with a coin, including the ones at doorways and along the walls. A dull, hollow sound means a hollow tile. See how to check for hollow tiles.
- Walls and ceilings: hold your phone torch flat against the wall and look along it for cracks and uneven paint. See wall and ceiling cracks.
- Doors, gate and locks: every door should close fully and lock with each key you were given. See doors, gate and locks.
- Bathrooms, kitchen and sockets: test each one the same way as above, and finish one room before moving on.
Windows: which side are you on?
The Central Expressway (CTE) runs along the north side of the site. Launch reviews noted the car park sits on that side and may help as a noise buffer, while the south side faces the Kent Ville blocks. Either way, close and lock every panel, look for gaps or loose rubber seals, and check the sealant around the frame. On the higher floors, rain gets blown hard against the glass, so 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
Farrer Park MRT on the North East Line is about a 12-minute walk. Pek Kio Market and Food Centre is right by the site if you need lunch or a break, and there's a FairPrice a few minutes away. Pack painter's tape, a marker, a coin, a bottle of water for the drain test, and a charger. Full list: what to bring on key collection day.
A simple plan for the first visit
- 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.
- Mark them on a floor plan. A quick sketch with the numbers on it saves the contractor time and saves you a second visit.
- Write one clean list, grouped by room, and submit it within the month. Check the repairs when they're 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 your phone: it numbers each defect, keeps the photos with it and marks it on your 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. Renovating? Check the contractor's work before the final payment with the renovation handover checklist.
Also collecting keys in Kallang/Whampoa around now: the Towner Residences check. All projects: the full BTO key collection list.