Before you sign the final HDB release form on your BTO flat, you should have already done the requisite self-education on the potential faults to check in your new home (in case you have decided not to engage with a professional defect check contractor), performed a thorough inspection where you identified defects or any construction aspects you weren’t happy with, and consolidated a report on them for filing as a rectification request at the BSC. 

Self-education is one half of a successful home defect check, the other half is securing the right set of tools and knowing the function of each tool and how to use it during the inspection. This article on the socket tester is the first in a series of five micro reviews on the different tools you will be needing to carry out an effective inspection of your BTO flat. These tools are all included in BTO Defect Check’s $20 deal which also includes an empowering thirty-minute in-person demonstration of their use by our expert team of handymen and home inspection specialists.

What is a socket tester?

A socket tester is a portable device that’s an absolute must-have to conduct a thorough inspection of your BTO flat. But you need to get the power supply turned on at your new home for the socket tester to work. BTO Defect Check has published a “How To Turn On Utilities for a New Home” article to help guide you in activating utilities before your scheduled inspection.

Why do you need a socket tester?

A socket tester will help ensure there is no fault in your wiring system and that the different power outlets in your home are working properly and safely. Usually, there’s a beeping sound or a light indicator to confirm that the socket you are testing is properly connected to the main electrical system of your flat.

Where do you get a socket tester?

Hardware and electronics stores might carry a socket tester that you can use for your home inspection. Or, you can source one from an online shopping platform. We also recommend getting your very own socket tester as part of BTO Defect Check’s $20 deal of expertly curated set of home inspection tools and handheld devices plus a thirty-minute in-person demonstration of their use by our skilled team of handymen.

The underlying defects that the socket tester–as well as the other essential home inspection tools–can help you uncover may have been caused by HDB’s construction or from your requested renovation work–which means it is important that you complete and file your inspection report within one month of your key-collection day, which is also the start date of your Defects Liability Period, and way before you begin any renovation work on your flat.