It's actually illegal to do these 9 things in your HDB flat

There are a lot of laws governing Singapore, but did you know that there are laws put in place for those living in HDB flats too? And that’s not surprising, given that about 80% of the Singapore population live in HDB flats—those laws keep us and the people around us safe within our living parameters. However, there are some trade-offs that can come with these rules and some of these regulations might even come as a shock to those who are unaware about them. Here are nine things that we bet you didn’t know were considered illegal to do in a HDB flat, even if it’s in your own house! Scroll through the gallery to find out if you are actually secretly guilty of any of these!

https://www.homeanddecor.com.sg/gallery/illegal-things-hdb-flat-rules-regulations-singapore/

Walking around nude in your HDB flat

image

1. Walking around nude in your HDB flat (if people can see you)

Yes, you emptied your CPF to own your HDB flat, but under Section 27A of the Miscellaneous Offences (Public Order and Nuisance) Act, you technically cannot be naked in your “private” HDB flat when being exposed to public view.

So if you’re a nudist, you better draw up the curtains before you take off your clothes – we’re serious. A police officer has the right to enter your home to arrest you if you commit this offence. If caught, you may have to pay a fine not exceeding $2,000 or serve a jail term of not more than 3 months.

Owning a cat

image

2. Owning a cat

Your neighbour’s dog might wake you up every morning at sunrise with its incessant yapping, but hey, at least it’s technically allowed to exist by the HDB. On the other hand, cats are not allowed in HDB flats.

The authorities are worried the felines will wander about indiscriminately or keep the neighbours awake. In practice, however, this regulation is often not enforced, unless your neighbours complain to HDB about your beloved furkid.

The maximum fine you can be slapped with is $4000.

Running a business of a certain scale

image

3. Running a business of a certain scale

There’s nothing stopping you from working from home or running a small business in your HDB flat. But when your business reaches a certain scale, you might be breaking the rules. That means you can be a private tutor who operates from home, but not run a tuition centre.

You can bake pineapple tarts for profit during Chinese New Year, but you can’t convert your HDB into a full-fledged bakery. You can even get hired help to come in during the day, but not more than two.

Renting out any part of your HDB flat to tourists on Airbnb

image

4. Renting out any part of your flat to tourists on Airbnb

You might have been inspired by that recent news report about the average host making $5000 a year, but seriously, don’t try that stunt in a HDB flat. In 2014, two HDB flat owners lost their flats for renting them out to short-term visitors, and of course, thanks to the fact that their listings were on sites like Airbnb or Roomorama for all to see, they weren’t that hard to track down.

If you want to rent out rooms in your flat legally, you’ll need to ensure your tenant is on a contract of at least 6 months.

Playing musical instruments late at night

image

5. Playing musical instruments late at night

Every night, your Tiger Mum neighbour forces her kid to practice on the piano, and whether he’s on his way to becoming the next Lang Lang or not, it can prove to be a disturbance.

Lucky for you, according to HDB, he needs to stop banging on the keys between 10.30pm to 7am. During this time, residents are reminded to keep noise levels low, and avoid noisy recreational activities.

Smoking in the corridor

image

6. Smoking in the corridor

There’s nothing like enjoying the view of the setting sun from the corridor outside your unit as you light up a cigarette, says the uncle next door when he goes up for his 7pm smoke break.

Well, guess what – it’s actually an offence to smoke in common areas in residential buildings, including void decks, stairwells and common corridors – the same applies to condo dwellers.
That means you either smoke inside your flat itself, or go all the way downstairs and smoke at a distance from the block.

Using your neighbour's Wi-Fi without permission

image

7. Using your neighbour’s Wi-Fi without permission

Say your internet connection is down and you happen to see that your neighbour’s wireless network is not password-protected. Surely it won’t hurt to use their Wi-Fi for the time being right?

Well, if you do that, you will be committing an offence under Section 6(1)(a) of the Computer Misuse Act. Stealing Wi-Fi is considered to be “hacking” and if you are found guilty, you may have to pay a fine of up to $10,000, go to jail for a maximum of three years or both. That’s a pretty hefty price to pay for such a seemingly minor offence so don’t be stingy and use your mobile data if you really must access the internet before your connection is restored.

Removing the balcony sliding doors

image

8. Removing the balcony sliding doors

So, you are lucky enough to get a 5-room BTO flat that comes with its own balcony and plenty of space for you to plan the perfect home that you have always dreamed of. However, when working on the interior design, you feel that the sliding doors don’t really fit your ideal aesthetic and you are thinking of removing it or switching it for something fancier.

Unfortunately, you won’t be able to do either. According to HDB renovation rules, you are not allowed to remove or replace the original sliding door provided by HDB at the balcony and any homeowner who breaches the rule can be subjected to a fine of up to $5,000.

Adding mezzanine floors to your HDB flat

image

9. Adding mezzanine floors to your HDB flat

Older resale flats have very interesting layouts. Some may even have high ceilings. Home-proud Singaporeans have taken to add mezzanine floors in their HDB flat, making it look like a loft.

Sounds so dreamy right? Wrong – it’s actually illegal. You can be fined up to $5,000 for adding additional load on the structure of the flat, and then you’ll have to bear the cost of dismantling the mezzanine level.

A version of this article was published on Cleo. The original story was first published on the MoneySmart.sg blog. MoneySmart.sg is Singapore’s leading personal finance portal that helps you to maximise your money.

Images: Unsplash