HDB Ceiling Leak From Upstairs: Who Pays and What to Do First

Protect your belongings and any electrics, record the leak, and tell your upstairs neighbour the same day.

1. Put a bucket and towels under the drip, and move electronics away.
2. Photograph the stain edge each day, wide and close up.
3. Film the drip and note the time, to match it to water use upstairs.
4. Tell your upstairs neighbour.
5. If water flows fast, ask them to shut the stopcock at their PUB water sub-meter, just outside their main door or in a service cupboard.
6. Keep every message, report and receipt for the cost split.

A sudden gush usually means a burst pipe; see what to do when a pipe bursts in an HDB flat.

Usually the upstairs toilet's waterproof membrane and screed have worn out, so water seeps through the floor slab into your ceiling.

HDB says this is common in older blocks, typically under toilets and bathrooms. Rule out simpler causes, such as choked pipes, first. When it drips is a useful clue:

• Only after upstairs showers, mops or flushes: the waterproofing, the floor-waste grating or the toilet bowl's waste connection. SG QuickFix's toilet repair includes a toilet bowl leak diagnosis from $80.
• Constantly, even with no water used upstairs: possibly a pressurised supply pipe. If their water meter turns with every tap off, that points to a supply pipe.
• Under the upstairs kitchen: HDB notes kitchen floor tiles have no waterproofing membrane beneath them, so it advises mopping instead of washing.

For water tests, see how to find where a ceiling leak comes from.

Start with your upstairs neighbour, then the town council for common property, and HDB for new-flat defects or a neighbour who won't cooperate.

• Your upstairs neighbour: HDB's process starts with talking to them and agreeing a time for a check.
• Your town council: for the roof, external walls, main sanitary pipes and void deck. After hours, use your town council's 24-hour Essential Maintenance Service Unit (EMSU) line; each town council has its own number.
• HDB's Building Service Centre: for a new flat within its 1-year Defects Liability Period (DLP), reported online through the Welcome Kit QR code.
• HDB's Branch Service Line, 6225 5432: weekdays 8am to 5pm, for flat maintenance.
• A plumber: HDB advises a PUB Licensed Plumber for water pipe leaks.

HDB's ceiling-leak guide has no report form, but you can write to HDB online, which MCCY also lists for neighbour disputes.

Follow HDB's 5 steps: talk, agree a check, hire a contractor together, agree the method and cost, then split the bill.

1. Approach your upstairs neighbour and discuss the possible cause, such as choked pipes.
2. Agree a time, as early as possible, for a check to confirm the source.
3. Engage a contractor together.
4. Let the contractor confirm the source and recommend a repair, then agree the method and cost.
5. Split the cost and pay the contractor.

HDB lists 3 regional contractors for reference only; you negotiate price and scope.

If your neighbour won't respond, contact your HDB Branch and consider the Community Mediation Centre. From 1 Sep 2026, HDB and the People's Association can issue Mediation Directions in HDB estates when a mediation invitation is declined or ignored (MCCY: community disputes framework), though the page doesn't mention leaks. The Community Disputes Resolution Tribunals are a last resort. The Singapore Courts' examples of neighbour interference don't mention water leaks (Singapore Courts: neighbour dispute claims), so get legal advice before filing.

A pipe or fitting fault is a plumbing repair, with leak diagnosis from $60; a failed slab needs a waterproofing contractor.

HDB names 3 slab repair methods. Re-screeding is recommended: a new membrane sets for 6 to 12 hours, then a screed at least 20 mm thick hardens for at least 12 hours. The others are localised repairs around the floor-waste grating and waste pipe. HDB also lists PU injection and other methods to discuss with your contractor. A visible-leak check usually takes about an hour; a concealed leak takes longer, and re-screeding usually closes the upstairs toilet for several days.

SG QuickFix's leak repair prices cover pipes and fittings, not slab waterproofing. Concealed pipes, hacking tiles, access upstairs and parts raise the price, and each job is priced separately. For an accurate price, send a photo of the stain, a drip video with the time, and the upstairs toilet floor if you can. See also concealed pipe leaks in HDB flats and the full plumber price list for Singapore.