Tanjong Tree Residences @ Hougang key collection: a defect check plan for your flat

Tanjong Tree Residences @ Hougang is the small BTO along Hougang Street 13, next to Hougang Citrine and across the road from Hougang Olive. It was launched in the November 2021 BTO exercise with 300 flats (172 4-room and 128 5-room) in four blocks of 9 to 12 storeys. HDB's estimated completion was the second quarter of 2026, so owners are collecting keys around now. (HDB later launched another Hougang project under the same name in February 2024; this page is about the November 2021 one.) 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.

Check the windows with noise in mind

Reviews at launch pointed out two things about this site: it's within about 3 km of Paya Lebar Airbase, so expect some aircraft noise, and there's a Chinese temple across the street that can be lively during festivals. You can't change either, but windows that close tightly make a real difference, and seal problems are much easier to get fixed now than after the curtains and grilles go up.

• Close and lock every panel. Each one should shut fully and the lock should catch without forcing it.
• Look at the rubber seals. Check for gaps, tears or seals coming loose at the corners. With the window shut, any gap you can see daylight through is worth reporting.
• Check the glass and frame. Look for scratches, cracks and gaps in the sealant between the frame and the wall.

More in how to check windows at key collection.

Low-rise blocks: check the ceiling if you're on the top floor

With only 9 to 12 storeys, a bigger share of flats here sit right under the roof than in a 30-storey block. If yours is on the top floor, look closely at the ceilings for stains, bubbling paint or damp patches, especially in the corners and near the windows. If you can, go back after heavy rain in the first few weeks. For everyone else, check the ceilings next to the bathrooms and kitchen for the same signs. See ceiling leaks and water seepage.

A 4-room or 5-room flat takes time

Every flat here is a 4-room or 5-room flat, so you have two bathrooms, a kitchen, a service yard and a lot of floor tiles to check. Give it two to three hours in daylight and bring a second person: 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.
• Both bathrooms: run each tap and the shower, flush, look under the basin for drips, and pour water near the floor trap to see it drain without pooling. See the bathroom check and the floor trap test.
• Walls: 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.
• Sockets and switches: try every socket with a phone charger and every switch. See the electrical check.

Getting there and what to bring

The site isn't right next to a train station: launch reviews put Kovan MRT about a 15 to 20 minute bus ride away, so plan your trip before the day. The project was planned with its own commercial block (a supermarket, an eating house and shops), but these may not all be open when you first collect keys, so bring water and a snack.

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

1. Go room by room. In each room: floor, walls, ceiling, doors, windows, sockets, then anything with water. Finish one room before moving on.
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 saves the contractor time and saves you a second visit.
4. 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.

Your neighbours across Hougang are collecting keys too: see the Kovan Wellspring check, or the full BTO key collection list.