Singapore condominium owners may face hefty repair bills when building defects emerge years after completion, particularly if developers or contractors have been wound up.
Recent lawsuits involving Foresque Residences and Canberra Residences highlight the difficulty of proving who is responsible. At Foresque, a cement-based balcony patch fell about 20m in 2025, around a decade after completion. An engineer later identified 88 affected balconies, but the parties involved dispute liability. Canberra’s management corporation alleges that water seepage, ponding, defective paintwork and shattered balcony panels remain unresolved despite a 2020 settlement.
At Waterwoods executive condominium, the management corporation sought about $3.9 million for rectification works. In 2021, the Straits Times reported, the Waterwoods MCST, through its lawyer applied to the High Court to have the developer’s dissolution declared void so that it could bring proceedings over the defects. However, the High Court refused to restore its dissolved developer because it had no assets, while the main contractor had become insolvent.
Lawyers say contract or tort claims generally have a six-year limitation period. For latent defects discovered later, an MCST may sue within three years of discovery, subject to a 15-year deadline from the condo’s completion.
Experts advise owners and MCSTs to document and investigate problems promptly. Early inspections can identify faults during the one-year defects liability period, while proposed latent-defect insurance could provide protection when responsible companies no longer exist or cannot meet their liabilities.