What can you do if a contractor does poor work?

Step-by-step: resolving a dispute with a contractor

Work through these steps in order, and keep a written record at each one.

1. Gather your records. Collect the quote, contract, invoices, receipts, photographs and messages, including clear photos of each defect.
2. Write to the company. Describe the defect or overcharge, say what you want done and give a reasonable deadline for a reply.
3. Allow a site visit. Let the company inspect the work and rectify it. Afterwards, note in writing what was fixed and what is still outstanding.
4. Seek mediation if it stalls. HDB names the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) and the Singapore Mediation Centre as places to seek help when a dispute cannot be settled privately.
5. File a small claim as a last resort. If mediation does not work, you can file at the Small Claims Tribunals, using the records from step 1.

Who is involved in an HDB renovation dispute?

HDB says engaging a contractor is a private contract between you and the contractor, and HDB is not privy to it. Its important information on renovations adds that disputes are settled without reference to HDB, and that flat owners are responsible for renovations in their flat and must make sure the contractor follows HDB guidelines.

If you disagree on pricing, schedule or quality and cannot settle it privately, HDB lists where to seek help: CASE, the Singapore Mediation Centre, the Small Claims Tribunals or the courts. For a CASE complaint, you can approach CASE directly. HDB also notes that CASE keeps a Company Alert List of businesses that have had complaints lodged against them.

Some problems in a flat may not be the contractor's to fix at all. To check which parts you are responsible for, see who maintains what in an HDB flat.

The Small Claims Tribunals

The Courts' eligibility page says the SCT can hear claims involving a contract for the provision of services, and its example is a renovation contract. That covers a small claims tribunal renovation case over work you paid a contractor to do. Claims must be filed within 2 years of the event that creates your cause of action, and the tribunal can only hear claims served on a respondent in Singapore. Claims can be up to S$20,000, or S$30,000 if both parties sign a Memorandum of Consent, according to the Courts' filing guide.

The same guide says claims are filed online through the Community Justice and Tribunals System (CJTS), and lawyers are not allowed to represent parties. Prepare documents such as invoices, receipts, contracts, photographs, emails or messages. For a business respondent, you need its business profile from the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA), obtained within 1 month of filing.

The same guide lists the steps: file the claim and pay the filing fee in CJTS, serve the claim and Notice of Consultation on the respondent within 7 days of filing, then file a Declaration of Service before the first consultation. The Courts' page gives the fees. Before going to court, you can also try eNegotiation or eMediation with the respondent online in CJTS.

Check the company first

Before you sign or file a claim, look the business up on Bizfile. ACRA's guide to Bizfile's search functions explains how: select the Entity tab, enter the business name or UEN, then click More information to view the entity profile. The entity 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 is skilled, holds the licences a job needs or has a good track record. For a step-by-step walkthrough, see how to verify a contractor UEN.

For renovation in an HDB flat, HDB's rules say owners must engage only contractors from its Directory of Renovation Contractors (DRC), and you may face prosecution for not doing so. HDB's contractor page lets you search the DRC through an e-Service and notes that DRC contractors are aware of its requirements, though HDB does not endorse them or vouch for the quality of their works.

Avoiding disputes next time

In 2022, the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS) published a guide on fair trading practices for the renovation industry. It covers five areas: a mutually agreed timeline, transparent pricing with accurate, clear and itemised quotes, accurate descriptions of goods and services, a clear exchange, repair and refund policy, and your express agreement before any contract change.

CASE's advice in the same release is to research the contractor's track record before signing, insist on a written contract that describes the goods and services and says how delays are handled, negotiate the deposit as low as possible and pay progressively by project milestones. CaseTrust-accredited renovation businesses must use the CaseTrust Standard Renovation Contract and protect deposits with a deposit performance bond.

Prices depend on the job, so compare like with like: see how to compare home service quotes. Before you pay any deposit, it also helps to know the warning signs of home service scams.

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