53,000 older HDB flats selected for upgrading

New method of repairing spalling concrete in toilets to be rolled out

- Mike Yeo

Some 53,000 flats built on or before 1997 have been selected for the Housing Board’s Home Improvement Programme (HIP), and they will see structural improvements and upgrades to bathrooms and entrances, among other things.

Announcing the latest round of the programme on July 28, HDB said it will also roll out a new method of repairing spalling concrete in toilets – a common bugbear in Singapore’s humid climate – following a successful trial that started in 2021.

The flats selected for the programme are located islandwide, including in Jurong West, Hougang, Woodlands and Pasir Ris, and the Government has allocated $742 million for the exercise, said HDB.

The HIP was launched in 2007 to spruce up older housing estates. Since its introduction in 2007, some 410,000 flats have been selected for upgrading, and common maintenance issues such as spalling concrete and ceiling leaks have been addressed, said Minister for National Development Desmond Lee, as he gave updates about the programme at a community event in Jurong West on July 28.

Of these flats, which do not include those in the latest exercise, an estimated 370,000 units, or about 90 per cent of them, have since been upgraded for a total cost of $4 billion, said HDB.