I REFER to the letter, 'One short pipe... two different offices' by Mr Lim Keng Hian (May 3).
Mr Lim referred to a short pipe in his flat as maintained by the town council and the Housing Board. We have since clarified that he was referring to the branch pipe of his flat, which is connected to the main sanitary pipe serving other flats in the same stack. Visually, these two pipes may appear to be a single pipe.
Flat owners are responsible for the maintenance of branch pipes as these are fixtures and fittings within their flat. The main sanitary pipe serving other flats in the same stack is common property maintained by the town council.
In situations where both pipes need to be repaired, flat owners may consider appointing the town council's contractor to repair or replace the branch pipe for better coordination and convenience. We understand Mr Lim has already done so.
The HDB website, www.hdb.gov.sg, has a list of repair contractors and their indicative prices. Flat owners who need to obtain quotations to compare prices before engaging a contractor can make use of the information available at the website.
This article was first published in The Straits Times on May 19, 2008
