During the works

Renovation working hours and your neighbours

In HDB flats, renovation runs 9am to 6pm on weekdays and Saturdays, noisy works only 9am to 5pm on weekdays, and nothing on Sundays or public holidays. Condos set their own hours in their by-laws. Landed homes fall under NEA’s construction-noise rules.

Checked against official sources · Updated

Renovation is noisy, and the rules about when you can make noise depend on where you live. Keeping to them, and warning your neighbours, saves complaints and stoppages.

A clock face with the permitted working hours shaded, beside a power drill.

HDB flats

Weekdays Saturdays Sundays and public holidays
General renovation 9am to 6pm 9am to 6pm Not allowed
Noisy works 9am to 5pm Not allowed Not allowed

Noisy works means demolishing walls, removing wall or floor finishes, cutting tiles and heavy drilling. They’re also banned on the eves of New Year’s Day, Chinese New Year, Deepavali, Hari Raya Puasa and Christmas Day.

HDB also limits how the noisy work is done:

  • only 2 of HDB’s approved handheld power tools, or their equivalent, may be used at any one time;
  • demolishing walls and removing finishes can’t take more than 3 consecutive days;
  • if you’re doing DIY work yourself, keep it between 7am and 10:30pm.

Telling your neighbours

  • At least 5 days before work starts, give written notice to neighbours within a radius of 2 units. HDB has a template for it, with the estimated dates and a warning about noise, and a diagram showing which flats count.
  • Display the Notice of Renovation outside the flat until all the works are finished.
  • Keep the main door closed while works go on, where possible, to cut noise.
  • Don’t hog the lifts, and never wedge a lift door open.

HDB and the Town Council can give directions while the works are going on.

Condos

No law sets renovation hours in condos. They come from your estate’s by-laws or house rules, so ask the management office before you agree a schedule with your contractor. NEA leaves condo renovation noise to the MCST, and the prescribed by-laws forbid noise likely to interfere with other residents’ peaceful enjoyment. More in condo renovation rules.

Landed homes

NEA regulates noise from additions and alterations works in landed properties. Unless NEA issues a permit, construction sites within 150m of homes can’t work:

  • from 10pm on Saturday to 7am on Monday; or
  • from 10pm on the eve of a public holiday to 7am on the day after.

NEA’s FAQs say construction work may go on until 10pm on Saturdays, and none is allowed on Sundays and public holidays. Construction sites also have to keep within NEA’s noise limits, which are stricter in the evening and at night.

When it goes wrong

NEA says complaints about renovation noise go to HDB for HDB flats, to the MCST for condos, and to NEA for landed homes. If it’s a dispute with a neighbour rather than a breach of the rules, the Community Mediation Centre handles neighbour disputes free of charge.

Questions people ask

Can renovation be done on Saturday in an HDB flat?

General renovation, yes, from 9am to 6pm. Noisy works such as hacking walls, removing tiles, cutting tiles and heavy drilling are not allowed on Saturdays; they’re limited to 9am to 5pm on weekdays.

Are there days other than Sundays and public holidays with no noisy works?

Yes. In HDB flats, noisy works aren’t allowed on the eves of New Year’s Day, Chinese New Year, Deepavali, Hari Raya Puasa and Christmas Day.

My neighbour’s renovation is too noisy. Who do I complain to?

It depends where you live. NEA says HDB handles renovation noise in HDB flats, the MCST in condos, and NEA itself for additions and alterations works in landed homes. For a dispute between neighbours, the Community Mediation Centre offers free mediation.

Can I do DIY work outside the renovation hours?

HDB asks flat owners doing their own DIY work to keep it between 7am and 10:30pm, and to keep the noise down.

Sources

Renovation rules change. We checked this guide against these official pages on 5 October 2026. If a source says something different from this guide, the source is right, and your HDB branch, condo management or BCA has the final word on your own home.

  1. HDB — Important Information on Renovations
  2. HDB — Written notice to neighbours (template, PDF)
  3. MyNiceHome (HDB) — How to Renovate Your HDB Flat
  4. NEA — Information on noise from renovation work in residential areas
  5. NEA — No-work rule on Sundays and public holidays
  6. NEA — Construction noise control: frequently asked questions
  7. Singapore Statutes Online — Building Maintenance (Strata Management) Regulations 2005, prescribed by-laws
  8. Community Mediation Centre — FAQs

SpaceToReno is run by the team behind Junk to Clear, which also handles renovations. Where a guide links to Junk to Clear or a sister site, it’s because that step calls for the service, and the sentence says so. Enquiries sent through the form go to the same team. How SpaceToReno works

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