Living Room Tiles in HDB Flat Suddenly Exploded For No Reason

On 11 Feb 2022 (Friday) at about 3PM, a 70-year-old elderly uncle received a call from his wife, saying that their living room tiles exploded for no reason. The couple stays on the 6th floor of a HDB flat at Blk 2 Jalan Batu.

“她说听到一声巨响，以为是镜子碎裂，没想到她从房门走出来后，发现客厅的地砖爆开了，一部分还拱起来。”

Translation: She said that she heard a loud noise and thought our mirror broke. Unexpectedly, after she walked out of the door, she found that the floor tiles in the living room were broken, some were still popping out of the floor

When the uncle went home, he was shocked to see the living room in the mess. One third of the living room floor was damaged. Some fragments even appeared in the bedrooms. The couple had to wear slippers in the house to avoid getting injured by the broken tiles.

Uncle called HDB but they say they can only send someone down to check 2 days later.

The living room tiles were also connected to the bedroom tiles, and the couple were worried that the same thing would happen to the tiles in their bedroom.

In addition, he said that the cabinets in the living room are fixed onto the floor. So if the floor below it also similarly explodes, the cabinets will also be affected. Some more, if he wants to repair the tiles below it, they would have to re-do the cabinets as well.

The uncle called HDB for help but they told him that they can only send someone there two days later on Monday (14 Feb).

The couple has lived there for more than 30 years

According to Shin Min’s report, the couple has lived in this HDB flat for more than 30 years. Their son has moved out but his grandchildren usually visit them on the weekends.

“我的孙子通常周末会过来，我已经打电话叫他们暂时别过来，担心他们会受伤”

Translation: My grandchildren usually come over on the weekends but I’ve called them to not come for the time being, in case they get injured.

Why couldn’t HDB fix the issue on the day?

Broken tiles post a danger to the elderly couple! Some more, they were so afraid of their lives, especially if the tiles in the other rooms also breaks. How can HDB just neglect them for an entire weekend before sending someone down to check?

Will they take responsibility if the tiles in the bedrooms also break in the meantime? What if somebody gets injured? HDB better compensate them if their entire house needs to be renovated!