The rules draw the layout before you do.
Hacking a wall needs an HDB renovation permit, laying vinyl does not, and the household shelter is off limits. Knowing which is which shapes the design before anyone draws it.
In an HDB flat, renovation work falls into three groups. Some jobs need an HDB renovation permit before they start: hacking or demolishing any wall, replacing floor tiles, changing windows. Some need no permit but still have to follow HDB’s guidelines: laying vinyl over the old floor, painting, a false ceiling, kitchen cabinets. A few are not allowed at all, such as hacking structural walls, columns or beams, or tampering with the household shelter. The permit is applied for by your renovation contractor, who must be listed in HDB’s Directory of Renovation Contractors. It is worth knowing which group a job sits in before any layout is drawn; our room-by-room HDB guide picks up the design side.
Which jobs need an HDB permit?
Tap a job to see how HDB treats it, and the condition that comes with the verdict.
Permit 3 · No permit 5 · Not allowed 1 · Depends 1
Even work that needs no permit must follow HDB’s guidelines and be carried out by a contractor from its Directory of Renovation Contractors.
The sorter covers common jobs, not every one. Where a renovation item is not in HDB’s guidelines, or its measurements differ from what the guidelines state, you need HDB’s approval before work starts. A job that needs no permit is not a free pass either: if it breaks the guidelines, HDB treats it as unauthorised work and can ask you to remove it and reinstate the flat.
What you can and cannot hack
Every wall you want to remove, whole or in part, needs HDB’s prior written approval, and HDB evaluates the plan so the work cannot weaken the building. What it will approve depends on what the wall is.
- Structural members. Reinforced concrete walls, columns, beams and slabs hold the block up. HDB does not allow them to be hacked or removed, so a layout that depends on losing one will not be approved.
- Lightweight partitions. Hollow block, brick, drywall and Ferrolite walls can be demolished with approval, up to the underside of the beam or slab only.
- Non-load-bearing concrete. Some concrete elements, such as stiffeners, lintels and partition walls, can come out with approval, but a Professional Engineer has to supervise the demolition.
- The household shelter. Its walls, floor slab, ceiling and steel door stay as they are. It can be painted and tiled within SCDF’s limits, but it cannot be opened up into a bigger room.
Putting a wall up is lighter. A 63mm hollow block wall, an 80mm glass block wall or a gypsum partition needs no permit, though a new room still needs natural light and ventilation, and a direct escape route that does not pass through another room.
Bathrooms and the 3-year rule
Bathrooms carry a waterproofing membrane under the screed that keeps water out of the flat below, so HDB guards them closely. In a new block, the original bathroom floor and wall finishes must not be replaced for 3 years from the block’s completion date, though you can lay new floor tiles over the old ones with adhesive. After that, replacing them needs a permit, a new membrane turned up at least 150mm against the walls, kerbs and pipes, and a water test once the floor is done.
The permit is not paperwork at the end of the design. It is the boundary the design has to fit inside.
Who applies for the permit
You do not apply yourself. HDB requires every renovation in your flat to be carried out by a contractor listed in its Directory of Renovation Contractors (DRC), including the work that needs no permit. You authorise that contractor to submit the electronic application on your behalf, with an acknowledgement form you have signed, and HDB sends you an SMS when it arrives. For wall demolition, the contractor also submits your floor plan marked with the proposed work; the one in your sales brochure will do, or a copy bought from HDB.
Some trades need their own licence on top of that: a PUB licensed plumber for water and sanitary work, an EMA licensed electrical worker for wiring, and a BCA approved window contractor listed with HDB for windows. Some electrical work has its own HDB permit, which your licensed electrical worker can apply for. HDB holds the flat owner responsible for the renovation, so hiring a contractor who is not on the DRC, or breaching the rules, can lead to a fine for you as well as for them. HDB’s website lets you search the directory before you sign anything.
How long you have, and when work can happen
A permit comes with a deadline. HDB requires approved renovations to be completed within 3 months of the permit date in a newly completed block, and within 1 month in an existing block; a job that is only window works gets 2 weeks. A new flat also needs a utilities account opened with SP Services before any permit can be granted.
The hours are fixed too. General renovation runs between 9am and 6pm on weekdays and Saturdays, and not at all on Sundays or public holidays. The noisier work, such as demolishing walls, removing wall or floor finishes, cutting tiles and heavy drilling, is limited to 9am to 5pm on weekdays, and is also off on the eves of New Year’s Day, Chinese New Year, Deepavali, Hari Raya Puasa and Christmas Day. Demolishing walls and removing finishes cannot take more than 3 consecutive days, and only two of HDB’s approved handheld power tools can run at once.
Before work begins, HDB says you or your contractor should give written notice to neighbours within a radius of 2 units at least 5 days ahead. The Notice of Renovation then stays up outside your flat until the work is finished.
New flat or resale: what changes
A BTO has the longer completion window and the 3-year bathroom restriction, and flats handed over from 1 July 2007 carry extra limits. Replacement windows must match the originals in colour scheme, proportion and type, grilles at the service yard and balcony must follow HDB-approved designs, and where an open balcony is provided it cannot be enclosed with windows or full-height glass. The guidelines specific to your flat, including the approved grille designs, are on MyHDB Page.
A resale flat works to the 1-month window, which is tight when an old renovation has to come out first. Removing a previous owner’s walls or tiles needs the same approval as any other demolition, so the plan and the permit have to be ready before the contractor starts, not worked out on site.
None of this needs memorising. It needs designing around, which is why the rules belong at the start of a project rather than the end. Our renovation guide shows where approvals sit in the sequence, from concept drawings to handover, and the cost page explains how a quote is built once the flat has been seen.