The first walkthrough of a newly collected HDB flat is rarely a calm inspection. There is the excitement of the keys, the measuring of door openings, the family debate over where the sofa should go. Somewhere in all of that, a tile underfoot makes a slightly different sound when you step on it, and a row of skirting boards looks a little off against the wall — and nobody notices. Hollow tiles and alignment problems are among the most commonly reported defects in new flats, and also among the easiest to lose track of if they are not written down properly in the first week.
What follows is a practical walkthrough: what these defects actually look like, how to record them in a way a contractor can act on, and the documentation habits that make a defect list stronger rather than longer.
Why Hollow Tiles and Alignment Faults Are Easy to Miss
A hollow tile does not usually look different from a solid one. The surface may be perfectly level, the grout lines straight, the tone consistent — and yet a light tap with a knuckle or a tapping rod returns a flat, hollow sound instead of a dense thud. That difference in sound is often the only clue a homeowner gets, which is why tile tapping is a physical check, not a visual one. A void behind the tile usually points to incomplete adhesive or mortar coverage during installation. While a hollow tile can stay intact for years, it also has a habit of cracking, lifting at the edge, or loosening entirely once heavy furniture lands on it or a renovation crew starts drilling nearby.
Alignment problems are quieter still
Misalignment covers a family of issues: lippage, where one tile edge sits slightly higher than its neighbour and creates a lip you can feel with a fingertip; grout joints that are uneven or taper from one end to the other; rows of tiles that do not run parallel to the wall; floor-to-wall junctions where the skirting does not sit flush; and door frames or casings that look noticeably out of square against the surrounding finishes. Individually these can seem cosmetic. Across a whole room, however, lippage and drift catch the light, trap dirt in uneven joints, and become far more disruptive to correct once flooring, carpentry and painting are finished. Under the 12-month Defects Liability Period that runs from key collection, these are exactly the items a homeowner should raise early, while the flat is still empty and access is straightforward.
Visual checks have limits
It is worth being honest about scope. A defect check is a systematic visual and tactile inspection of accessible areas; it cannot confirm what is happening inside a wall or beneath a screed. What it can do is identify visible workmanship issues, describe them precisely, and give the developer or HDB something concrete to work from — which is where most claims succeed or stall.
Recording Each Item in a Way a Contractor Can Act On
Developers receive a large volume of defect submissions. The ones that move quickly tend to share the same qualities: they are specific, they are located, they are photographed, and they are lodged while the unit is still vacant. A submission that simply reads “hollow tiles in living room” gives a site supervisor nothing to work with — no count, no location, no reference point.
Work in a fixed order, room by room
Start at the main door and move through the unit in the same sequence every time: living and dining, kitchen, service yard, bathrooms, bedrooms, then the remaining areas. In each room, tap the floor tiles on a grid pattern rather than at random, then repeat along the wall tiles in bathrooms and the kitchen. Mark every suspect tile with a small piece of masking tape or a chalk mark so the area can be revisited without re-tapping the entire floor. Keep a numbered list as you go — item 1, item 2, item 3 — and note the wall or grid position beside each number so the list and the marks always correspond.
Pair every photo with a location and a description
A wide shot showing the whole wall or floor, followed by a close-up of the marked tile, saves a great deal of back-and-forth later. Where alignment is the issue, photograph a spirit level or laser line held against the joint so the deviation is visible rather than merely claimed. Note whether the tile is hollow, lipped, or both, since these are usually rectified differently. Record quantity as well: “three tiles along the kitchen window wall” is far more useful than “several tiles”. Apply the same discipline to carpentry alignment, door and window operation, and skirting lines, and always note the date of the check.
Move the notes into the format that was requested
HDB and most developers expect defect lists in a specific format, and many now use apps such as Novade or CityNexus where each item is lodged individually with photos attached. Lumping twenty observations into one line slows the whole process down. If you would prefer your own list to be cross-checked before submission, an independent HDB Defect Check can be carried out while the flat is still empty, with findings documented room by room so you can compare them against what you have already noted.
Mistakes That Weaken a Tile or Alignment Claim
The most common problem is timing. Homeowners often assume there is plenty of leeway because the Defects Liability Period runs for 12 months, then schedule renovation in month two — and find that reporting becomes complicated once works have started or the unit is occupied. Raise tile and alignment items in the first submission, ideally within the first week or two after key collection, while the floor is bare and every joint is still visible.
Vague wording and missing evidence
Descriptions such as “uneven flooring” or “poor tile work” cannot be verified by anyone. State the room, the wall, the number of tiles, the type of issue, and what you actually observed — a change in sound when tapped, a visible lip, a joint that widens from one end to the other. Keep your original photos and the dated list even after submitting, because they are your record if an item is disputed or only partly rectified.
Assuming everything will be accepted
No visual inspection can promise a completely defect-free home, and an independent check does not guarantee that every reported item will be accepted for rectification. What documentation does is separate genuine workmanship defects from personal preference: a hollow tile or a noticeable lippage is a defect; a tile tone you simply dislike is a design choice. Being clear about that distinction makes the rest of the list far more credible.
Forgetting to re-check after rectification
Tiles are sometimes replaced with a hollow patch still behind them, and alignment can shift slightly when a row is lifted and re-laid. Re-tap and re-photograph the same spots once the contractor reports completion, and note the date of that re-check. The same applies to bathroom floor levels — pour water at the furthest corner and confirm it flows to the floor trap without pooling, since a re-laid tile can quietly change the fall.
