Condo renovation rules: your MCST, the by-laws and BCA

A condo flat has no HDB permit to get. Instead there are three layers: your management corporation (MCST) and its by-laws, BCA’s building control rules, and URA if you add floor area. Most renovations only ever touch the first, but you need to know when the other two apply.

Start with the management office

Before you hire anyone, ask the MCST’s management office for its renovation rules. BCA says building works in condos might need the MCST’s approval, and its strata guide explains that by-laws can set design guidelines for works inside units and require you to meet conditions and get approval before starting. They can also require a Professional Engineer’s endorsement for structural works and approvals from other agencies.

Things to ask about, because each estate sets its own:

• the application form and what drawings it needs;
• any deposit, and what it covers;
• the hours renovation is allowed (no law sets them for condos);
• protecting lifts and common areas, and where debris and deliveries go;
• design guidelines for grilles, windows, air-conditioners and anything visible from outside.

By-laws only have effect once they’re lodged with the Commissioner of Buildings, so the management office should be able to show you the version in force.

Works that change how the building looks

Under section 37 of the Act, you can’t carry out works in your unit that affect the appearance of any building in the estate unless the MCST authorises them, and it may only authorise works that keep in with the rest of the buildings and don’t affect structural integrity. If you go ahead without authorisation, the MCST can serve a notice requiring you to put things right at your own cost.

BCA puts it simply for condo owners: altering features fixed on the outside of the building, such as windows and walls, isn’t allowed without approval from the MCST and any relevant government agencies. It also suggests checking your sale and purchase agreement for renovation restrictions.

The prescribed by-laws also stop you marking, painting or driving nails or screws into common property without the MCST’s written approval.

Grilles and safety equipment

Section 37A lets you install safety equipment, including window grilles or screens, railings, window restrictors, insect screens, alarms and locks, whatever the by-laws say. You have to install it competently, repair any damage to common property, and make it look in keeping with the building. BCA’s strata guide adds that the MCST can’t stop you installing grilles but can make design guidelines so they look uniform.

Windows and air-conditioners

• Windows that open (louvres, casement, sliding or with any movable part) are part of your unit; other windows on the exterior walls are common property, unless your strata title plan says otherwise.
• By law, anyone installing, repairing or replacing a window must use a BCA approved window contractor or a builder. See windows and grilles.
• An air-conditioner unit mounted outside the building must be installed by a BCA-trained air-conditioning unit installer.

When BCA approval is needed

Under the Building Control Act, building works need approved plans and a permit unless they’re on the list of insignificant building works. For a typical condo renovation, that list covers:

• demolishing a non-load-bearing wall (one that carries nothing but its own weight), or making or sealing an opening in one;
• replacing floor and wall finishes, windows and doors;
• lightweight false ceilings, partitions and raised floors, with conditions;
• all air-conditioning works.

Structural elements are different. BCA says slabs, beams, columns and structural walls in a condo can’t be altered without a Professional Engineer’s assessment and approval from the Commissioner of Building Control. Only a registered civil or structural PE can apply, and a permit is needed before the work starts.

Adding floor area

If a change increases, or is likely to increase, your unit’s floor area, the MCST can only authorise it by a 90% resolution, and you still need planning permission from URA. URA says internal works that don’t increase the floor area and keep the unit as one home need no planning permission, but balconies shall not be enclosed with walls or glass panels. A loft or furniture deck of up to 5 square metres, one per unit, is allowed.

Noise and neighbours

No law sets renovation hours in condos. NEA leaves condo renovation noise to the MCST and asks residents to send complaints there, and the prescribed by-laws ban noise likely to interfere with your neighbours’ peaceful enjoyment. See renovation working hours and your neighbours.

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