Bathroom Defects at VP
Falls, Grout, Silicone, Fittings & Leaks in a New Home (2026)

What bathroom defects look like at VP

Bathrooms collect more defects per square foot than any other room because so many trades meet there: the screed and waterproofing under the tiles, the tiler, the plumber, the glazier and whoever ran the silicone at the end. At VP the usual signs are a floor where water lies in a corner instead of running to the trap, grout lines that are cracked, crumbly or simply missing, silicone that stops short of a corner or has been smeared over dirt, a shower screen door that scrapes the kerb or does not meet its fixed panel, a WC that shifts when you sit on it, a cistern that keeps refilling, a basin that moves when you lean on it, and a damp patch under the basin.

Most of these can be found in a few minutes per bathroom without tools. If you would rather have the checks done with you, our defect inspection service in KL & Selangor goes through each wet area as part of the full inspection.

Why bathrooms in new homes go wrong

The bathroom is finished late and fast. Floors are screeded and tiled before the fittings arrive, so a screed laid flat or falling the wrong way is only discovered when water is poured on it. Grout is often done in a hurry or before the tile bed has settled, so it cracks at the junctions. Silicone is the last job before handover and is frequently run over dust and grout residue, which means it lifts within weeks. Fittings are fixed into fresh tiles and plugs, and if the anchor behind the tile is poor they start to move once in use.

None of this is cosmetic. Water that gets past a failed grout line or a gap in the silicone soaks the screed and, in a stacked building, can find its way to the ceiling of the unit below. That is why a bathroom defect noticed at VP is worth listing even when it looks small.

How to check each bathroom at VP

Do the same checks in every bathroom and note which bathroom and which fitting as you go; the checklist tool lets you tick your defects room by room and keeps them in order.

Floor falls and standing water

A bathroom floor should fall gently towards the floor trap so that water leaves after a shower. The handover water check guide describes the test: pour water at the corner furthest from the trap and watch it. It should run to the trap and leave nothing standing. If water sits, or heads for the door, the falls are wrong, and no amount of waterproofing above will cure it.

Check the threshold too. Water from the shower area should not be able to run out under the door into the bedroom or corridor. How fast each trap drains, and any smell from it, belong to the plumbing checks; here you are only looking at where the water goes on the surface.

Grout and tile joints in the wet areas

In a shower, grout is part of what keeps water on the surface. Walk round with a torch held low and look for joints that are cracked, crumbly, missing or noticeably lower than the tiles around them, and pay particular attention to the corners, the kerb and the joint where wall tiles meet the floor. Cement grout that is already breaking up at handover will not improve.

The grout types guide explains how cement, epoxy and urethane grouts differ in wet areas. While you are on the floor, tap the tiles lightly: a hollow sound under a tile is a separate defect, and the popped and hollow tiles guide explains how to test and record it.

Silicone gaps and shower screens

Silicone closes the joints between materials that move separately: basin and wall, screen and tiles, WC and floor, bath and wall. At VP look for a bead that is continuous, smooth and sits in the joint. Defects are gaps, a bead that stops short at a corner, edges already lifting, sealant smeared across the tile faces, or a bead run over grout dust. The silicone resealing guide explains why the only proper repair is to cut the old bead out completely and run a new one; a new line over the old one fails.

On a glass shower screen, open and close the door several times. It should swing or slide without scraping the kerb and meet the fixed panel squarely. Look for the clear plastic seals along the door edges and the bottom sweep; they should be fitted and unbroken. Check that the hinges or rollers are firmly fixed and that the glass has no chips at the edges.

WC, basin, taps and under-basin leaks

Sit on each WC and rock it gently. It should not move. A WC that shifts is the early stage of a leaking base, which the toilet repair guide explains: the movement breaks the seal under the pan little by little. Flush each cistern and listen; it should refill and stop. Lean lightly on each basin; it should not move on its bracket or pull away from the wall. Run each tap and check that it shuts off fully without dripping and that hot and cold are the right way round.

Under the basin, run water for a while, then wipe the waste trap, the flexible hoses and the angle valves with a dry tissue. A damp tissue means a joint is weeping. The under-basin leak guide shows how to tell a waste-trap leak from a supply-hose leak. Check that the exhaust fan runs and that towel rails, holders and mirrors are firmly fixed and undamaged.

Defect or normal? What to list

Keep the judgement qualitative and practical. Anything that lets water go where it should not, or that moves, drips or keeps running, is a defect. Visible damage to tiles, glass or fittings is a defect. Construction dust, limescale from the first uses, and anything you or your contractor did after handover are not.

How to word it on the defect list

Name the bathroom, the fitting or area, the fault and what you expect to see repaired:

• Master bathroom shower area: water poured at the far corner stands and does not reach the floor trap; please correct the floor falls.
• Common bathroom: grout cracked and missing along the shower kerb and at the floor-wall joint on the left wall.
• Master bathroom: silicone at the basin-wall joint has gaps at both corners and is lifting; please cut out and reseal.
• Common bathroom screen: door scrapes the kerb and does not close against the fixed panel; bottom sweep missing.
• Master bathroom WC: pan moves when seated; please re-fix and re-seal the base.
• Common bathroom basin: waste trap joint weeps after the tap is run; cabinet base marked by water.

Send the list in writing and keep a copy; the defect liability period guide explains how to report correctly.

What the developer's repair should look like

Wrong floor falls should be corrected, which means lifting the affected tiles and re-laying the screed to fall to the trap, with the waterproofing made good, not a thicker bead of silicone at the door. Failed grout should be raked out and the joints regrouted, not grouted over. Defective silicone should be cut out completely, the joint cleaned and dried, and a fresh bead run. A moving WC should be lifted, re-bedded, re-sealed and fixed down properly. Weeping joints under the basin should be re-made or the parts replaced. Re-test everything the same way you did at VP before you sign the repair off.

If the defect comes back

Water problems in bathrooms often return because the cause was below the surface. If the same area ponds, the grout cracks again, or a stain appears on the ceiling below, report it again in writing as a repeat defect while you are within the 24 months. If the source is unclear, leak detection by ClickBina is RM300 – RM800 per visit. That is a separate service from any repair. After the DLP ends, repairs are yours to arrange; published ClickBina figures (indicative 2026, Klang Valley) for common bathroom work:

How ClickBina helps with bathroom defects

We inspect new homes and subsale units across KL & Selangor, run the water and fitting checks in every bathroom, and write up what we find so it can go straight onto your defect list. ClickBina is an experienced KL & Selangor contractor for whole-house refurbishment and trade coordination, so regrouting, resealing, re-fixing fittings and wet-area repairs can be carried out by the same team when the developer will not, or after the DLP. WhatsApp us your unit type, size and VP date for an inspection quote. We reply within the hour, we are registered with SSM, and the price we agree is a flat price with no hidden charges. For repair work, a site visit is RM150, waived if you go ahead.

Sources & methodology

• ClickBina defect liability period guide — the 24-month DLP from vacant possession and written reporting.
• ClickBina handover water check guide — the floor-falls pour test and the leak detection fee.
• ClickBina silicone resealing guide — cut-out-and-reseal method and resealing prices.
• ClickBina grout types guide — grout in wet areas and the regrouting price.
• ClickBina toilet repair and under-basin leak guides — WC base, cistern and trap repairs and prices.

Methodology: checks are simple owner checks. Defect-or-normal guidance is qualitative; no gradient or tolerance is given because none is published on the pages above. Prices are ClickBina indicative 2026 Klang Valley ranges from the guide named beside each. This is not legal advice.