How do I report a ceiling leak in my HDB flat?

Common-area defects can also go through the OneService app, which passes them to the town council.

We could not find a dedicated online form on HDB's site for ceiling leaks in flats past their defects period. HDB's pages point owners to their HDB Branch for help.

A wet patch under your own air-con piping is often condensation, not a leak from upstairs. It shows up only when the air-con runs, and the ceiling may feel cold. In one Tampines case reported in June 2026, HDB officers found an unusually cold ceiling and suspected an air-con pipe, after a facade spray test by the town council came back dry.

Turn off every tap and watch your water meter for a few minutes. If it still moves, one of your own pipes is leaking, possibly above a false ceiling.

Then note when the drip happens. Straight after the upstairs neighbour showers points to their bathroom floor or floor trap. A steady drip day and night points to a supply pipe. Worse after heavy rain, on a top floor, points to the roof.

Take dated photos every few days. If water is near a light fitting, switch off that circuit and put a pail under the drip.

HDB's ceiling leak page sets out five steps for owners of flats past the defects period:

1. 1Approach your upstairs neighbour, talk through the possible cause, such as a choked pipe, and decide whether a contractor is needed.
2. 2Agree a common time slot for a check to confirm the source, as early as possible.
3. 3Engage a contractor jointly. HDB lists three contractors by area with office hours, but says the list is not an endorsement.
4. 4The contractor confirms the source and recommends a repair method. Both owners agree the method and the cost.
5. 5After the repair, both owners split the bill and pay the contractor.

If the town council's property turns out to be the source, it joins in. For external walls and the roof, the town council bears the full cost.

When the upstairs owner will not cooperate, go to your HDB Branch with your photos and messages. HDB first tries persuasion and may ask grassroots leaders to mediate. Legal action is a last resort.

Renovation upstairs caused it: the upstairs owner pays in full.

Wear and tear, which is most cases: the Ministry of National Development has described HDB's Goodwill Repair Assistance in Parliament as HDB paying 50% of the repair, with the two owners paying 25% each. It covers the repair of the slab, not damage inside the lower flat such as repainting or furniture.

New flats: there is a 1-year defects liability period from key collection, and a 5-year warranty on ceiling leaks. The warranty ends if the floor tiles above were changed or the waterproofing was tampered with.

In 2022, MND said most ceiling leak cases took about a month to investigate and one to two months to arrange repairs, on average. About 92% were due to piping and waterproofing in the flat above.

In May 2026, according to an MS News report of a written answer, MND said HDB gets about 17,000 inter-floor leak reports a year and most are resolved between owners within two to four months. As at end-March 2026, 10 cases had run past four months because the upper-floor owner would not cooperate.

The Tampines case above started in November 2025 and was still open in June 2026.

HDB recommends re-screeding the bathroom floor above: hack off the tiles and screed, apply a waterproof membrane turned up 150mm against walls and pipes, lay at least 20mm of waterproof screed, then re-tile.

Smaller jobs fix the area around the floor waste grating, or seal the exposed concrete between the grating and the waste pipe and fit a long-neck grating. Our guide to floor traps and floor wastes explains which drain that is. HDB also lists chemical injection, flood infusion, overlay membranes and nanotechnology coatings as options to discuss with a contractor.

Repaint your ceiling only after the source is fixed and the slab has dried, which can take a few weeks.

If both owners want the source confirmed quickly, a plumber can run a meter test and a controlled water test in the flat above, with the upstairs owner's agreement, and hand both of you photos and readings.

WhatsApp us photos of the stain and of the bathroom above, 24/7. We explain the likely source and a price range before anyone comes, and the final price is agreed before work starts. See ceiling leak repair in HDB flats, or the condo version if your building is under an MCST.