More stringent quality standards via CONQUAS set for property developers
It aims to provide more assurance and confidence to home buyers when purchasing private homes.
Property developers in Singapore will soon be subjected to meet higher standards for their workmanship and also the quality of the materials that are being used in their future new launch private residential projects.
The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) of Singapore will update its national standard used to assess the quality of construction, with additional focus on ponding, water seepages, and also shattering glass.
The most recent condominium project that bagged the highest achievement for attaining quality standards under the BCA’s construction quality assessment system was The Tapestry at Tampines.
That includes using more durable materials like engineered wood and building done off-site in a controlled environment before assembling them at the project.
The frame helps assess the quality of buildings like its floors, walls windows, waterproofing works, and external touches of the buildings – such as its roof.
Overall, design and material sources are also part of the assessment.
Its aim is to get developers to construct buildings that are up to standards for consumers.
The stakes will be even higher for projects with construction tenders launched from June 2022 onwards when the updated CONQUAS rating system will also check on water slippage, ponding in common areas, and shattering glass.
It was mentioned by the Minister of State for National Development that CONQUAS will include tests for glass materials that are used in balconies or showers.
It will also require the project team to provide a 3-year warranty for these materials.
This will provide more assurance to home buyers.
He also noted that additional checks on water seepage or ponding in common areas will also be included.
This aims to prevent issues that may affect the hygiene of these areas and the health and wellbeing of residents.
Residential projects, real estate developers, and builders will also be banded in the future.
Instead of just by scores, It will be based on their track records and feedback gathered from the public.
The objective is to provide homeowners the ease to assess the potential quality of the building before purchasing, while also spurring developers and builders to deliver better buildings.
This also helps to ensure that the same incident with property developer, Kingsford Development doesn’t happen again.
The developer was hit with a “no-sale license” back in 2019 for its current project, Normanton Park as two of its earlier projects (Kingsford Hillview Peak and Kingsford Waterbay) deviated from requirements stipulated under the Building Control Act and Regulations.
BCA says 95 percent of private residential projects use the CONQUAS rating and the score for building projects has increased by 35 percent on average in the past three decades.