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Home > How’s Your Town Doing? > TCMR objectives and framework

TCMR objectives and framework


Objectives


The state of an estate reflects the collective efforts of both residents and their Town Councils. It is therefore crucial that residents work together with their Town Councils to achieve the living environment that they desire.

Given the importance of forging this partnership between residents and Town Councils, the Town Council Management Report (TCMR) aims to:

  • Provide residents with objective information about the key areas of estate management

  • Facilitate informed discussion between Town Councils and their residents on the management and state of their estates

The information in the TCMR should not be compared across estates as the towns differ in their property profiles and resident needs. Rather, the TCMR is meant to provide an additional basis for dialogue between Town Councils and residents, so that they can better determine how to jointly improve their towns over time.

Framework


The TCMR framework covers 6 indicators under 4 key areas – estate cleanliness, estate maintenance, lift performance and service & conservancy charges (S&CC) arrears management:

  • Cleanliness

    a. Average number of Cleanliness observations per block;

  • Maintenance

    b. Average number of Maintenance observations per block;

  • Lift Performance

    c. Lift breakdown rate per month (per 10 lifts);

    d. Lift Automatic Rescue Device (ARD) failure rate per month;

  • S&CC Arrears Management

    e. Proportion of households with S&CC overdue for ≥ 3 months;

    f. Proportion of residential S&CC amount overdue for ≥ 3 months (out of total monthly S&CC collectible)


Data for the Cleanliness and Maintenance indicators are regularly collected by HDB officers via estate inspections while Town Councils submit data for Lift Performance and S&CC Arrears Management to HDB.

All indicators are reported individually and the results for each indicator are banded according to 5 levels (Levels 1 to 5).

Areas / Indicators
Cleanliness
 Maintenance Lift Performance S&CC Arrears Management
Average no. of observations per block Average no. of observations per block Average no. of breakdowns per month
(per 10 lifts) 		Lift ARD failure rate per month (as % of total ARDs) % of households with S&CC overdue for
≥ 3 months 		% of S&CC amount overdue for
≥ 3 months
Level 1 < 2 < 2  < 1 < 1% < 3% < 30%
Level 2 2 to < 4 2 to < 4 1 to < 2 1% to < 2% 3% to < 4% 30% to < 40%
Level 3 4 to < 6 4 to < 6 2 to < 3 2% to < 3% 4% to < 5% 40% to < 50%
Level 4 6 to < 8 6 to < 8 3 to < 4 3% to < 4% 5% to < 6% 50% to < 60%
Level 5   ≥= 8 ≥= 8 ≥= 4 ≥= 4% ≥= 6% ≥= 60%


  • More about cleanliness and maintenance observations…

    HDB officers carry out inspections on the state of estate cleanliness and maintenance using a standard inspection checklist (See Process under Estate inspections for more details).

    Cleanliness observations

    Areas of observation related to cleanliness include the presence of litter, graffiti/cobwebs/moss/stains, and bulky refuse. Click here to view images of observations made during inspections.

    The average number of cleanliness observations per block for each town is calculated as follows:


    See worked example below to find out how the banding levels are derived:

    Cleanliness Observations
    Inspection Period Apr-10 May-10 Jun-10 Jul-10 Aug-10 Sep-10 Total (6 Months)
    Number of Cleanliness
    Observations    		 163 120 151 117 125 215 891
    Number of Blocks inspected 50 59 52 53 60 50 324
    Average no. of Cleanliness
    Observations per block:    		 891/324 = 2.75
    Banding Level Level 2 (2 to <4)


    Maintenance observations

    Areas of observation related to maintenance include the condition of wall tiles, benches, staircase railings, electrical fittings and playground equipment. Click here to view images of maintenance observations made during inspections.

    The average number of maintenance observations per block for each town is calculated as follows:


    See worked example below to find out how the banding levels are derived:

    Maintenance Observations
    Inspection Period Apr-10 May-10 Jun-10 Jul-10 Aug-10 Sep-10 Total (6 Months)
    Number of Maintenance
    Observations    		 180 200 250 198 300 215 1343
    Number of Blocks inspected 50 59 52 53 60 50 324
    Average no. of Maintenance
    Observations per block:    		  1343/ 324 = 4.15
    Banding Level Level 3 (4 to <6)


  • More about lift performance …


    What causes lift breakdowns?

    Besides technical faults, lifts may also break down due to misuse and vandalism. For example, pressing multiple buttons, jamming buttons, forcing the lift door open for a long time and urinating/spilling liquids in the lift can cause the lift system to malfunction.

    The average lift breakdown rate is calculated as follows:


    See worked example below to find out how the banding levels are derived:

    Lift Breakdown Rate
    Inspection Period Apr-10 May-10 Jun-10 Jul-10 Aug-10 Sep-10 Total (6 Months)
    Number of Lift Breakdowns
    per month    		 37 25 30 25 40 15 172
    Number of Lifts managed 1000 1003 998 998 1000 1010 6009
    Average no. of Lift Breakdowns
    per month per 10 Lifts:    		 (172/6009) x 10 = 0.29
    Banding Level Level 1 (<1)

     

    More about Lift ARDs…

    ARD refers to the Automatic Rescue Device that brings the lift car to the nearest landing level during a power failure. Common causes of ARD failure include technical faults, battery defects, wear and tear and expiry the device. As the ARD is an important mechanism that enhances public safety in high-rise buildings, all devices are regularly tested to ensure that they are well-maintained.

    The average lift ARD failure rate per month is calculated as follows:


    See worked example below to find out how the banding levels are derived:

    ARD Failure Rate
    Inspection Period Apr-10 May-10 Jun-10 Jul-10 Aug-10 Sep-10 Total (6 Months)
    Number of Lift ARD Failure
    per month    		 1 0 1 1 1 1 5
    Number of Lift ARDs managed 1000 1003 998 998 1000 1010 6009
    Average Lift ARD failure rate
    per month:    		 (5/6009) x 100% = 0.08%
    Banding Level Level 1 (<1%)


  • More about S&CC arrears management …

    The service and conservancy charges (S&CC) collected by Town Councils provide the funds needed to manage and maintain HDB housing estates. S&CC arrears may affect Town Councils’ ability to upkeep the estate. Therefore, the S&CC arrears rate is one of the indicators of a Town Council’s financial health. Learn more about the funding of Town Councils here.

    While some TCs may choose to be more forbearing in recovering their S&CC arrears, TCs need to strike a good balance between being lenient and its ability to finance the estate’s upkeep. One consequence of not recovering long overdue payments is that responsible households who pay their S&CC on time end up being adversely affected.

    S&CC Arrears Management (households in arrears)

    The indicator on S&CC arrears management (by households in arrears) provides a measure of the proportion of households in a town with S&CC overdue for three months or more, regardless of the amount owed by each household, as illustrated below.


    See worked example below to find out how the banding levels are derived. The average % used to determine the banding level is based on the average for the 6-month period:

    S&CC Arrears Management (By Households)
    Inspection Period Apr-10 May-10 Jun-10 Jul-10 Aug-10 Sep-10
    Number of households with S&CC overdue
    for ≥ 3 months     		 708 900 800 850 950 800
    Number of households 38000 38500 38450 38000 38500 38450
    % of Households with S&CC overdue
    for ≥ 3 months:    		 1.86% 2.34% 2.08% 2.24% 2.47% 2.08%
    Average % for period under review: 2.18%
    Banding Level Level 1 (<3%)


    S&CC Arrears Management (amount in arrears)

    On the other hand, the S&CC arrears management (amount in arrears) looks at the total cumulative S&CC overdue for three months or more. This is calculated as a proportion of the total S&CC that the Town Council collects each month, as illustrated below.

    See worked example below to find out how the banding levels are derived. The average % used to determine the banding level is based on the average for the 6-month period:

    S&CC Arrears Management (By Amount)
    Inspection Period Apr-10 May-10 Jun-10 Jul-10 Aug-10 Sep-10
    Amount of S&CC overdue
    for ≥ 3 months     		 $450,000 $480,000 $490,000 $495,000 $500,000 $485,000
    Amount of monthly S&CC
    collectible    		 $1,250,000 $1,280,000 $1,300,000 $1,320,000 $1,340,000 $1,360,000
    % of S&CC amount overdue
    for ≥ 3 months:    		 36.00% 37.50% 37.69% 37.50% 37.31% 35.66%
    Average % for period under review: 36.94%
    Banding Level Level 2 (30% to < 40%)

    Residents in genuine financial hardship and face difficulty in paying your S&CC arrears should approach your Town Council. The Town Council can then better understand your financial situation and assist you accordingly.



Last updated on December 8, 2010

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