Our PPHS Journey – Part 3: What To Do After Getting Your PPHS Keys

Congrats, you have collected your PPHS keys! It feels great to achieve a milestone, but your journey is far from over. In fact, your journey has just begun!

Welcome to the third part of “Our PPHS Journey” series where I intend to share my complete journey renting a PPHS flat.

OUR PPHS JOURNEY SERIES

Part 1: Why PPHS?
Part 2: PPHS Procedures
Part 3: What To Do After Getting Your PPHS Keys?

In this article, I will share the important things to be done after getting your PPHS keys. This list is compiled based on my own experience, so it may not be the most comprehensive list but I’d like to believe it gives a great overview.

Open an SP Utilities Account

Right after you sign the tenancy agreement, make payment and collect the keys, don’t leave HDB Hub yet. Instead, make your way to SP Group Customer Service Center to open a new SP account for your PPHS flat.

You will need to present your tenancy agreement and fill up some forms. No payment is needed yet, the deposit will be charged in your first month’s bill.

Upon registering, you will need to select appointment date for activation. During the appointment, you or your family member must be present at your PPHS unit.

Visit Your Unit and Check for Defects

Next, it’s time to visit your unit and check for defects. I’d recommend that you do this ASAP because in case there is any defects, you can immediately notify HDB about this and get it rectified ASAP.

For information, most of the PPHS units will come in bare condition (no appliances, no furniture, no AC). Some might come with metal gate and window grills, some don’t. A 3-room should come with water heater.

Our unit came with quite a number of defects. First, the key that we collected didn’t match the gate lock, so we couldn’t enter our flat for the first few days. Once HDB fixed it and we got access to the unit, we found that our unit didn’t come with water heater and had several minor defects. So, we had to waste a couple more days to notify HDB and wait for them to be fixed.

Raise Issues to HDB, if any

If your unit has defects, you can raise the issue by contacting HDB, either through hotline or through online feedback form. I found that they got back to me quite fast (within a couple of days) via both methods. But, waiting for the contractor to come and fix the defects takes quite some time.

Take Measurements and Start to Plan The Interior of Your Flat

After the defects are fixed, or while waiting for your defects to be fixed, you can start to take measurements of your flat and plan your flat’s interior.

Some things to consider when planning for your interior are:

• Is the current paint good enough for you? Or do you want to re-paint the flat?
• Is the current tile good enough for you? Or do you want to lay some removable tile stickers?
• Do you want to install air-conditioning? If yes, you will need to apply to HDB for permit to do so.
• If you’re not installing aircon, are you planning to get portable aircon? If yes, you need to figure out where you want to place it and how to install the exhaust.

Deep Clean Your Flat

Probably the most tiring task would be deep cleaning your flat. Our flat was so dirty and dusty, we had to mop the floor for probably twenty times before we could walk barefoot in it.

Purchase the Appliances and Furniture

Shopping for new appliances and furniture might be exciting for some, and terrifying for others. There are really A LOT of stuffs to be purchased.

If you’re on a tight budget, here are some tips to save money:

• Look for second hand items or hands-me-down
• Re-use your current items if possible (eg: bed, table)
• Buy from overseas (from JB or Taobao)
• Buy with 0%-interest instalment plans, but make sure you have enough cashflow to pay the monthly instalment
• Space out your purchase, don’t buy everything at one go

For us, we bought a lot of stuffs from Taobao to save money. For appliances, we bought in Singapore because we wanted to be protected with warranty. I will be sharing what we spent on big ticket items in my future post.

Open Broadband Account

Don’t forget to open a broadband account. It takes time to research which broadband to sign up for, and after signing up, it takes a few more days or weeks for the activation. If possible, I recommend settling your broadband early.

Change Your Address

Once you are ready to move, remember to change your address. Nowadays, changing of address can only be done online. After registering your new address online on ICA website, they will send you a PIN to your new address.

Once you receive your PIN, key it into ICA website. Then, ICA will send you the sticker to be pasted on your IC in a few days. The entire process takes 1-2 weeks.

Move Into Your PPHS Flat

Lastly, it’s time to plan for your moving in! Here are some things to consider when planning for your move:

• Are you going to engage a mover? If so, you’ll need to compare prices and book them at least a few weeks in advance.
• If not engaging a mover, are you getting your family members or friends’ help? Or are you going to move on your own because you have very little stuffs to move?
• Are you going to rent a van/lorry? If so, whom will you rent from? And how many days will you need to rent?

The easiest way is definitely engaging a mover, but it’s also the most expensive option and not everyone need to engage a mover. If you do not have big appliances (like fridge, washing machine, bulky bed frame or sofa), it is possible to DIY your move by renting a van/lorry.

I guess, that’s all the major points to do after collecting your PPHS keys! If you have any questions or feedback on what I miss out, feel free to comment below!