What should you ask before hiring an electrician?

Is the person a licensed electrical worker in Singapore?

A company may take your booking through an office line or a chat app, then send whichever worker is free that day. So your first question is about the person, not the company: will the worker at your door be an LEW? The Energy Market Authority (EMA) suggests checking this with the company in advance, asking to see the licence card on arrival and verifying the licence online (EMA).

EMA says electrical work in an HDB flat needs a Licensed Electrician, the class of LEW approved for loads of up to 45kVA. In a condo or landed house, EMA says home electrical work, including installing, repairing or modifying wiring, should be carried out or supervised by a Licensed Electrical Worker (EMA: Engaging Licensed Electrical Workers).

To check LEW licence details, note the name and licence number on the card and look them up before any drilling starts. If no card appears, pause the job and phone the office. When you shortlist, you can compare firms listed for Licensed Electrician work in the directory.

Does the job need an LEW?

EMA's rule of thumb is simple. If the work draws a new electrical connection from the circuit, you need an LEW. Connecting an appliance such as a light fitting to an existing point does not need one. Shifting or extending a point does, whether you are moving one power point behind a new TV console in a BTO flat or rewiring a whole landed home. The LEW must also apply to SP Services to inspect the completed work (EMA).

Water heaters come up often. EMA says the heater itself can be installed without an LEW, but you must engage one if the home has no dedicated connection point for it (EMA).

HDB's electrical works page states that "All wiring installation work must be carried out by an EMA licensed electrical worker" (HDB, EMA). For flats with a 30amps main switch, HDB adds: "Consumption of appliance should not exceed 1.5kw for storage water heater". Ask the LEW whether the heater you picked fits your flat. Our guide to what work needs an LEW covers more borderline jobs.

What does the quote include?

Two firms can answer the same request, say three new power points in a condo study, and come back with very different numbers because one has priced the points alone. Before you weigh any electrician quotation, ask each firm to spell out:

• how many points, switches or fittings, and of what type
• who supplies the parts, and which brand
• any call-out or transport fee, and whether it is waived if you go ahead
• the route and length of trunking, or whether wiring runs above a false ceiling
• making good: filling holes, touching up paint and clearing dust
• whether the SP Services inspection application is part of the job

HDB does not allow new wiring in HDB flats to be embedded in walls or plaster. It runs in surface trunking, above a false ceiling or behind carpentry (HDB). Walk the route with the worker so the trunking does not end up across a feature wall.

EMA encourages getting quotations from a few LEWs to compare price and scope (EMA). Quotes depend on the job, so send every firm the same written list. Our electrical quote checklist adds more items.

Business checks

The licence card tells you about the worker. The company behind the quote needs its own check. The Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA) runs Bizfile, which has an Entity search: select the Entity tab and enter the business name or Unique Entity Number (UEN). To search by number, choose "UEN (including previous UEN)" under the keyword match type filter, then click More information to view the entity profile (ACRA).

On the quote itself, look at the tax line. Not all businesses are registered for GST, and only GST-registered businesses may charge it. The Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) has an e-Service to check whether a business is registered (IRAS). For a walk-through of the registry search, see how to verify a contractor UEN.

Before and after the job

Before the visit, photograph the walls, ceiling and furniture near the work area, and clear a path so the worker does not need to move your things. Decide who will be home to sign off the job. If a second visit turns out to be needed, ask upfront whether the electrician call-out fee applies again.

After the work, ask the LEW to point out your residual current circuit breaker (RCCB), a switch with a "Test" button usually found in the distribution board (DB box). EMA says to test it once a month (EMA). If it does not trip when tested, or trips often with no obvious cause, engage an LEW (EMA). Keep the invoice and any inspection paperwork with your home documents.

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