A total of 37 cases of fallen casement windows were recorded from January to November this year, according to statistics from the Housing and Development Board (HDB) and Building and Construction Authority (BCA).
Since 2010, reports of fallen windows have been increasing by around eight to nine cases a year. This year, most were attributed to corroded aluminium rivets.
The homeowners would have breached the Retrofitting Order under the Building Control Act for not replacing all aluminium rivets with stainless steel ones and could be slapped with a penalty of up to S$5,000 and/or jail term of up to six months.
If lack of maintenance causes a fallen window, the owner could face a maximum fine of up to S$10,000 and/or jail term of up to one year under the Building Maintenance and Strata Management Act (BMSMA).
The authorities have already fined 113 people and prosecuted 35 for fallen windows and non-compliance with the Retrofitting Order. For lack of maintenance, 70 more were fined and two were prosecuted.
“BCA will continue to reinforce the importance of window safety through enforcement actions and window inspections at private and HDB estates, as well as educating homeowners on window maintenance tips through our roving exhibitions and the biannual Windows Safety Campaign on 6 June and 12 December,” said Lim Chong Yong, Director of Building Management Department at BCA.
Romesh Navaratnarajah, Senior Editor of PropertyGuru, wrote this story. To contact him about this or other stories email romesh@propertyguru.com.sg
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