Do home cleaning companies need a licence?

NEA cleaning licence: who needs one

NEA says businesses that offer general cleaning services at premises or in any public place must get a cleaning business licence before they start cleaning works, even if cleaning is only part of their business. It describes three sub-sectors: office and commercial, food and beverage, and conservancy, which includes public areas under Town Councils. The full requirements are on NEA's licence page.

NEA introduced mandatory licensing in 2014, and its requirements include training for cleaners and the Progressive Wage Model. Under the Environmental Public Health Act, carrying on a cleaning business without a valid licence is an offence, as NEA explains.

When the licence does not apply

According to NEA's licence FAQ, cleaning businesses that provide domestic cleaning at premises occupied as a private residence do not need to be licensed. NEA adds that this does not cover any common property of a condominium. So a company cleaning inside your HDB flat, condo unit or house does not need the licence for that job.

This means you should never treat a home cleaner without the licence as breaking a rule. When you compare home cleaning companies, a missing licence is not a reason to rule one out.

Home, office and condo work

NEA's FAQ says any cleaning business offering non-domestic general cleaning must be licensed, whether the work is ad hoc or on a term contract. Its examples are office cleaning, carpet cleaning, upholstery cleaning, on-site dishwashing and cleaning of condominium common areas.

If you need regular cleaning for a small office, look at office cleaning companies and ask each one whether it holds the licence. If you are not sure whether your own job counts as domestic cleaning, ask the company how it treats the work before you book.

How to check a company

For office, carpet, upholstery or condo common area jobs, NEA points service buyers to its Public Search Page, which lists licensed cleaning businesses. You can find it through NEA's licence FAQ. If you need a licensed cleaning company for that kind of work, this list is where to confirm it. For cleaning inside your home, skip this step, because the licence does not apply.

For any company, including one that cleans homes, you can check its registration on Bizfile, the portal of the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA). ACRA's guide explains the Entity search: select the Entity tab and enter the business name or UEN. To search by UEN, choose "UEN (including previous UEN)" under the keyword match type filter, then click More information to view the entity profile. The search shows basic information such as live status and registered address.

A UEN or a live status shows registration only. It does not prove that a company holds any licence, has the skills for your job or has a good track record. Our guide on how to check a contractor's UEN explains what the result can and cannot tell you.

The Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) says not all businesses are registered for Goods and Services Tax (GST), and only GST-registered businesses may charge it. IRAS has an e-Service to check this. A GST-registered business should display final, GST-inclusive prices and may not quote or advertise prices without GST. If both are shown, the GST-inclusive price must be at least as prominent.

Part-time helpers and the law

The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) is clear about paying someone else's helper to clean your home. MOM says it is an offence for a foreign domestic worker to take on part-time work for another household, even with her employer's consent. Under the Work Permit conditions, a foreign domestic worker does domestic chores only for her employer at the residential address stated on her Work Permit card.

For part-time or temporary help with household chores, MOM says you can contact any of the companies it lists under the Household Services Scheme (HSS). The HSS lets companies hire more migrant workers to provide part-time domestic services such as home cleaning, grocery shopping, car-washing and pet-sitting. MOM does not say a cleaning company must be on this list.

Our guide to hiring a legal part-time cleaner covers your options, and you can weigh up a part-time cleaner or helper side by side.

When to stop and walk away

These are practical warning signs, not rules from any agency. Think twice, or walk away, if a company:

• will not put the scope of work and the price in writing
• asks for a deposit in cash only
• uses a business name that does not match its registration on Bizfile

Price depends on the job, so compare home cleaning prices and get the scope in writing before you agree to anything. Our list of cheap house cleaning red flags covers more signs to watch for.

Questions