9 HDB Renovation Works That Are Actually Illegal (and to Avoid)

If caught, you may be fined up to $5,000!

A home is a reflection of your personalities and lifestyles, so it’s natural to want to get creative with the overall layout and look. However, that doesn’t mean you get free reign to do just about anything you like – because if you’re living in a HDB flat, there are a certain set of rules and regulations to abide by.

To avoid doing anything illegal, here are some of the biggest no-nos for any HDB flat renovation:

1. Building platform storage

With the limited amount of floor space in HDB flats (especially new BTOs), creating platform storage seems like the best way to maximise storage space. However, according to HDB regulations, the space between the platform and the floor cannot be used for storage purposes – which, presumably, is due to weight restrictions.

That means no platform beds, or even bay window seating with storage space beneath it.

If you need alternative storage space ideas, consider looking into these articles:

• Space-saving carpentry ideas
• Carpentry ideas for storage and display
• Clever custom carpentry ideas

2. Extending your floor area by covering up void areas

Typically only found in HDB flats with high ceilings (like executive maisonettes or HDB loft units), void areas refer to the empty space above the floor, as shown here:

While it’s tempting to extend the floor space of the upper level by creating a room or a mezzanine, doing so will skew the weight distribution per square metre and strain the structural integrity of the unit. In fact, there have been cases of HDB owners being slapped with hefty fines by adding a mezzanine in their maisonette.

3. Concealing your pipes without any access openings

Pipes – like the ones in your bathroom, or the gas pipes in your kitchen – aren’t the most aesthetically-pleasing feature in the home. But before asking your interior designer to conceal them, make sure that there is an access opening of at least 600mm in height and width, so that it can be easily reached during inspections and repairs.

By the way, boxing up your pipes aren’t the only way to hide the eyesores in your HDB flat – you can find more ideas in the article below:

Explore: 8 Sneaky Ways to Hide HDB Home Eyesores Like Wires and Pipes

4. Making any changes to structural walls

It goes without saying that you cannot, under any circumstances, tear down the structural walls in your apartment (marked by the thick black lines in your HDB floorplan). But this also means you cannot make any changes to them, no matter how small they may be – like creating a recessed niche to display your items, for example.

Any changes can once again compromise the structural integrity of these essential features and potentially endanger the lives of not just yourself, but your neighbours.

Instead, you can make the most of these unhackable HDB structures by either building around them, strategically positioning your furniture beneath them, or straight up turning it into a design feature in your home.

5. Making any changes to your household shelter

Your household shelter is built with the same reinforced walls as your structural columns, so in the same vein as the previous point, you are not allowed to make any changes to it either. This includes:

• Laying wall and floor tiles or skirting inside
• Drilling nails into the wall (e.g. to install built-ins or to hang things)
• Modifying the household shelter door or ventilation opening

For more details, here’s a breakdown of what you can (or cannot) do with your household shelter.

6. Raising your floor level past 50mm (including your floor finishes)

Your flooring doesn’t just consist of the flooring type you choose, like tiles, vinyl, or cement screed. During installation, contractors will typically need to apply a subfloor first – and in some homes, there may also be a need for an additional layer of concrete to level out any unevenness.

In total, the total thickness of all these layers should not exceed 50mm. This height limit also extends to floor overlays, so take note!

7. Installing fixtures or floor finishes outside your entrance

Unless you’ve purchased the recessed area outside your home, the corridor outside your entrance doesn’t belong to you. So, while it’s tempting to use the area outside your home as additional storage space, floor finishes and fixtures (like cabinets, or more recently, saunas) cannot be installed outside your home.

This is for safety reasons – in the event of an emergency or a fire, first-responders can easily access your home without being impeded by narrow, cluttered corridors.

8. Altering the bathroom’s original layout

It’s no secret that HDB flat toilets are tiny, so you may be tempted to play around with the layout to something that maximises space better.

But you need to be careful – as HDB is particular about the positioning of the sanitary pipes, you are not allowed to change the position of the shower area in any way.

The only features you can shift are the ones in the ‘dry’ areas – like your WC/toilet bowl, vanities, and sink.

9. For BTO owners: removing bathroom floor and wall tiles within the first 3 years

BTO homeowners have probably heard that you’re not allowed to replace floor and wall tiles in your bathroom. While this is technically not illegal (as in, you won’t be fined for it), doing so will void your waterproofing warranty – so if you run into any leaking issues in the future, you may have to fork out a hefty sum for repairs.

If you’re keen on changing the look of your bathrooms, consider overlaying the floor and walls with the tiles of your choice instead.

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