+ PRACTICAL · HDB
MyHDB defect submission: a step-by-step walkthrough.
The MyHDB app is how HDB BTO buyers file their defect register with the BSC. Here is the complete walkthrough, from finding the Welcome Kit QR code to tracking rectification once submitted.
What MyHDB is
MyHDB is HDB’s official mobile application for residents. It is available free on iOS (App Store) and Android (Google Play). Among its functions (rent payment, e-services, transaction lookup) the relevant module for new BTO buyers is Defects Feedback.
The app is the digital equivalent of the paper Defects Feedback Form available at the Building Service Centre (BSC). Both produce the same outcome: a defect list submitted to HDB with a reference number, which BSC uses to schedule the joint inspection with the contractor.
Why submit via the app rather than paper
- Photographs upload directly from your phone’s camera. No printing, no separate evidence attachment.
- You get an immediate reference number, useful when calling the BSC later for status updates.
- Follow up on rectification through the app and BSC once the joint inspection happens.
- Edit and add defects within the submission window if you spot more after the initial submission (subject to the one-month window).
If you prefer paper, the physical form is available at the BSC counter. Functionally the same; less convenient.
The walkthrough
Find your Welcome Kit and the QR code
Your HDB Welcome Kit is the folder of documents you received at key collection. Inside the front cover (or sometimes on a separate appendix) is a QR code linking directly to your unit’s Defects Feedback form in the MyHDB app.
If you have lost the kit, the QR code can also be obtained from the BSC counter at your project. Bring your IC for verification.
Download MyHDB
Search for “MyHDB” on the App Store (iOS) or Google Play (Android). The publisher is Housing & Development Board, Singapore. Confirm before installing. There are a few unofficial “HDB” apps in the stores; only the one published by HDB itself is the right one.
Open the app once installed. You do not need to create a separate account for defect submission; the QR code authenticates you and your unit.
Scan the QR code
The QR code from your Welcome Kit points directly to your unit’s defect submission form. Scan with your phone’s camera (or the in-app scanner if the camera roll prompt asks). The app opens to a pre-filled form with your project name, block, and unit number.
Verify the project, block, and unit number are correct before continuing. Mistakes here route your defects to the wrong unit.
Add your first defect
Tap “Add Defect” or equivalent. The form asks for:
• Location: the room or area (Living, Master Bedroom, Common Bathroom, Kitchen, Service Yard, Bomb Shelter, Balcony, etc.). Select from the dropdown.
• System: the defect category, e.g. Architectural, Tiling, Plumbing, Electrical, Doors and Windows, Bomb Shelter. Select from dropdown.
• Description: free-text. Be specific. “Hairline crack on north wall above door frame, approximately 200mm long” is more useful than “crack on wall”.
• Photograph: upload one or more photos directly from your camera roll or take a fresh photo from within the app. Include a coin, ruler, or other scale reference where useful.
Continue room by room
A thorough BTO defect list usually runs to dozens of items across the unit. You can add every item in one session or come back over a few sittings within your one-month window.
The recommended order is room by room, top to bottom of each wall, then floor, then fittings. This mirrors the order your contractor will inspect, which makes the joint inspection conversation smoother.
Review before submitting
The app shows a summary list of all defects entered. Review each entry: location correct? system correct? photo attached? description specific? Edit anything that looks off. Once submitted, edits within the one-month window are still possible but less convenient.
You should also count items per room. If your Living Room has 0 entries but you noticed paint runs and a tile alignment issue at the walkthrough, those got missed. Add them.
Submit
Tap “Submit” and confirm. The app produces a reference number. Screenshot this. Email it to yourself. Keep it on file; you will reference it every time you communicate with BSC.
The app also confirms that the submission is registered, and shows it as pending until BSC schedules the joint inspection.
Wait for the joint inspection appointment
BSC contacts you to arrange the joint inspection after you submit. You will receive notification through the app, by SMS, or by email. The appointment is between you, a BSC officer, and the project contractor.
If you have not heard back after a couple of weeks, contact the BSC directly. Scheduling can run slower during peak handover periods.
Adding defects after initial submission
Within the one-month window, you can add further defects through the Defects Feedback module in the app, or by contacting the BSC.
Past the one-month mark, additions become harder. The joint inspection works from the items in your submission; defects you flag late are handled separately, and you fall back on your remaining 12-month Defect Liability Period (DLP) rather than the joint inspection.
Track rectification
After the joint inspection, BSC and the contractor work through each accepted defect, and you can follow progress through the app and BSC as items are completed.
Once all items are marked rectified, BSC schedules the closing inspection. This is your final chance to verify each fix is adequate before signing off.
• Submit in batches by room, not in one go. If your phone crashes or session times out, you lose only one room’s entries, not the whole submission.
• Use the “Description” field to anchor location precisely. “Living, north wall, 1.2m from corner, 1.5m from floor” is unambiguous; “Living wall crack” can land in the wrong place during rectification.
• Photograph each defect with two angles where possible: one wide showing context, one close showing the issue.
• The app does not currently support video. For defects that need video evidence (water flow on a drainage gradient, RCD trip behaviour), include a still photo in the submission and bring the video to the joint inspection on your phone.
What to do if the app does not work
- QR code does not scan: enter your project / block / unit manually in the MyHDB Defects Feedback module. Search for your block in the project list.
- Upload keeps failing: compress photos before uploading, switch to a stronger Wi-Fi network, or close and reopen the app. The form auto-saves draft entries.
- Submission button is greyed out: usually means a required field is missing on at least one defect entry. Scroll through and look for incomplete entries marked with a warning indicator.
- App is unresponsive entirely: paper backup at BSC. The physical Defects Feedback Form is functionally equivalent. Bring your IC and ask the BSC officer.
The one-month deadline mechanics
HDB’s guidance is to report all defects within one month of key collection, before renovation begins, whichever comes first. That month is not the limit of your cover. Your full Defect Liability Period is 12 months from key collection, and you can still raise defects within that window. But the joint inspection is your strongest point to get everything rectified in one coordinated round, and it works from your initial submission. Defects raised after the one-month window get added to a slower, separate process.
If you are about to start renovation and your defect submission is still incomplete, our advice is firm: do not start renovation until your defect list is filed and the joint inspection has happened. Once renovation begins, the contractor can credibly attribute pre-existing defects to your renovator. See BTO key collection day for the broader timing playbook.
What this article does not cover
The defect categories themselves (what to look for in each room, how to detect hollow tiles, how to test drainage gradient, what RCD trip failure looks like) are covered in the Toolkit and the common defects catalogue. This article is the submission mechanics; those are the inspection mechanics.
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