Tre Ver condo grapples with termite trouble; property giant UOL helping residents in affected units

AI generated

SINGAPORE – Residents in a Potong Pasir condominium project developed by real estate giant UOL Group are grappling with a termite infestation, with multiple units in several blocks believed to be affected in recent years.

The Tre Ver – a three-year-old condo with 729 units – is the second UOL Group project known to have a termite problem.

In 2023, there were reports of a termite issue in the 1,074-unit Avenue South Residence condo in Silat Avenue off Jalan Bukit Merah.

Both UOL projects got their temporary occupation permit (TOP) amid the Covid-19 pandemic, which lasted from January 2020 to about early 2023.

A UOL spokesman, in response to queries, said of The Tre Ver: “Currently, we have about 15 affected home owners.”

But both the developer and The Tre Ver management corporation strata title (MCST) declined to provide details on how many units at the condo have been affected by termites since it obtained TOP in late 2022.

Obtaining a TOP means that the project has been certified as safe and fit for occupancy before its full completion.

The UOL spokesman said The Tre Ver and Avenue South Residence have been hit by a drywood termite problem.

A drywood termite infestation can be difficult to detect because the insects live deep inside wooden furniture and fittings and feed on the cellulose in dry wood.

Colonies can grow for years undetected until the insects push out sand-like droppings or frass, and swarmers or flying termites emerge.

At least 50 units at The Tre Ver are believed to have had termite issues since December 2022, based on the number of complaints raised in a WhatsApp group chat for affected home owners, said a former resident who wanted to be known only as J. Lau.

In a recent court ruling, the Freesia Woods MCST was ordered to pay compensation to a couple after it was found that the MCST failed to prevent termite infestation in the common property of the Sunset Way condo, which led to damage in the couple’s unit.

The couple was awarded nearly $11,000 for repairs and more than $42,000 in costs.

Absolute Inspection director Tan Wee Kwang, whose firm checks properties for defects, said vacant units in new projects usually face a low likelihood of a termite infestation because owners have not moved in, and so could not have introduced termites.

He said: “Regular pest management would have been done on site by the contractors or managing agent.

“Before the pandemic, we rarely saw termite or wood borer infestation in new projects that just obtained TOP. It is puzzling that we started seeing more cases of infestation in vacant new projects post-pandemic.”

Wood borers are a species of beetle whose larvae burrow into and feed on wood.

Lau, 34, who sold his two-bedder in The Tre Ver in January 2026, said he found termites in a bedroom wardrobe in March.

The finance industry professional, who is married, said: “The termites kept appearing for one to two days after we cleared out the frass from the wardrobe, which was built by the developer.”

Darius Baker, 40, another The Tre Ver resident, found a pile of frass in the corner of a kitchen cabinet where his washing machine sat around mid-2025.

“We contacted the MCST, and they sealed the kitchen cabinet with thermal padding, and used a generator to flush the area with hot air because termites die at extreme heat,” he said.

The termite problem surfaced again in another cabinet in late 2025, but this time, Baker said the MCST did not help as that cabinet was not built by the developer.

He said: “Several home owners were told heat treatment and pesticides don’t fully address the issue. The best solution is to rip out the affected cabinets. If I’m going to rip up the cabinets, I will wait until it is a big problem.”

Absolute Inspection said it found signs of termite or wood borer infestation in the built-in wardrobe cabinets or toilet cabinets of fewer than 10 of 61 vacant units it inspected at The Tre Ver between December 2022 and April 2023.

As for Avenue South Residence, half of the 125 vacant units Absolute Inspection checked in 2023 from May to September had signs of termite or wood borer infestations in the built-in wardrobe cabinets or toilet vanity cabinets, Tan said.

The developer provided the wardrobes and vanity cabinets for both projects, he added.

UOL declined to provide details on how many termite cases it has dealt with at Avenue South Residence.

At The Tre Ver, the period of time during which the developer remains responsible for any defects in the units is over, but UOL said it will continue to listen to home owners and address every case. “This includes arranging inspections with home owners at the earliest opportunity to assess the affected areas... and working closely with them to implement appropriate remedial measures.”

In response to queries, the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) said termite infestations are considered a defect and one of many factors taken into account in the Construction Quality Assessment System (CONQUAS).

Introduced in 1989, CONQUAS evaluates workmanship and major defects like water seepage and cracked tiles. BCA also grades developers and builders, with Band 1 being the best and Band 6 the worst.

UOL is rated Band 1, while The Tre Ver is a Band 3 project and Avenue South Residence is a Band 2 project – all at the upper end of the scoring system.

When asked if the infestation would affect their band ratings, BCA said: “UOL’s Band 1 reflects its overall quality performance across its portfolio of projects assessed under CONQUAS over the past six years. As such, the presence of termite-related issues at two specific projects may not, on its own, affect the developer’s overall banding.

“Similarly, at project-level, the banding reflects its overall assessed quality including any defects in aspects such as internal finishes, and external finishes,” the agency added.