MONITORING OF MAINTENANCE STANDARDS AT HDB CAR PARKS

It is not unusual for people to assume that the maintenance of HDB carparks comes under the purview of the Town Council. Actually, HDB carparks are not “common property” as defined in the Town Councils Act. However, HDB invites Town Councils to maintain carparks via contract. In my PQ, I sought to understand how HDB tracks and monitors the maintenance levels of its carparks. I also asked if the payment arrangement under the contract between HDB and Town Councils may be reviewed to incentivize the timely maintenance of HDB carparks. My PQ and the Minister Desmond Lee’s response may be accessed below.

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Mr Murali Pillai asked the Minister for National Development (a) how does HDB proactively monitor the maintenance standards at its HDB carparks; (b) how does HDB track the performance of parties contracted to maintain its carparks; and © whether the flat fee payment arrangement under the current contracts between HDB and Town Councils for maintenance of HDB carparks may be reviewed to promote the timely maintenance of HDB carparks.

Mr Desmond Lee: The Housing and Development Board (HDB) appoints Town Councils (TCs) as the maintenance agent for carparks. The Maintenance Agreement between HDB and the Town Councils requires TCs to carry out routine maintenance, keep the carparks in a state of good and serviceable repair, and carry out yearly inspections.

HDB conducts checks on the maintenance of the carparks through audit checks by HDB officers and checks by HDB carpark service providers.

In 2021, following a review of the Maintenance Agreement, HDB moved away from a flat fee payment arrangement, in which TCs were paid a flat fee depending on carpark type and location, to a performance-based payment model based on maintenance outcomes. HDB also introduced Liquidated Damages clauses in the Maintenance Agreement to ensure that maintenance standards are met.

A new integrated Estates Management System (iEMS) was also introduced to track the maintenance status of HDB properties including carparks. The iEMS will allow HDB to monitor the timely rectification of defects and provide HDB with better oversight of the condition of the carparks. HDB is now in the initial phase of onboarding TCs to the iEMS. When fully implemented, HDB will be able to more closely monitor conditions of the HDB carparks, ensuring that the maintenance of the carparks is carried out in a more timely manner.

HDB will continue to strengthen the maintenance regime of carparks, to better serve the needs of our residents.