Renovation Insurance in Singapore: What to Check Before You Sign

The three policies to ask your contractor for

A properly run renovation firm should be able to produce proof of these, without hesitation:

• •Work Injury Compensation insurance — covers a worker injured on your job. Singapore's Work Injury Compensation Act sets requirements for employers here; confirm current thresholds and requirements with the Ministry of Manpower rather than assuming, since rules can change and vary by employee type
• •Contractors' All Risks (or Contract Works) insurance — covers damage to work-in-progress, materials and tools on site, e.g. a fire or water incident that destroys carpentry mid-installation
• •Public Liability insurance — covers third-party injury or property damage caused by the works, such as water seepage damaging the unit below, or damage to a shared corridor or a neighbour's renovation

Ask for the Certificate of Insurance, not a verbal assurance

A Certificate of Insurance (COI) states the insurer, policy number, coverage type, sum insured, and — critically — the policy period. Ask for this before paying a deposit, and check three things: that the policy is current (not expired), that its dates actually cover your renovation timeline, and that the sum insured is realistic against your project's value rather than a token minimum.

If your contractor uses subcontractors for specific trades (electrical, aircon, glass works), ask explicitly whether those workers are covered under the main contractor's policy or need to be verified separately — this is one of the most common coverage gaps.

What your own home insurance does — and doesn't — cover

Many home/fire insurance policies treat active renovation works differently from normal occupancy, and some exclude damage arising from renovation activity, or require you to inform the insurer before major works (especially hacking) begin. Policy wording varies by insurer and changes over time, so read your policy's renovation clause and confirm directly with your insurer rather than assuming you are covered as usual.

For condo and landed homeowners, this sits alongside — not instead of — your management corporation's own requirements: many MCSTs require proof of contractor insurance as a condition of approving a renovation permit. Rules and required documents vary by development and change over time, so confirm current requirements directly with your MCST or managing agent before works begin.

Red flags: when a contractor can't produce proof

Treat these as direct questions to resolve before signing, not minor paperwork gaps:

• •No Certificate of Insurance at all, or reluctance to provide one
• •A policy period that has already expired, or does not extend through your renovation's expected completion date
• •A sum insured that is obviously token relative to your project value
• •Vague answers about whether subcontracted trades are covered
• •"Don't worry, nothing will go wrong" in place of an actual document

Before you sign: put it in writing

Request copies of the relevant COIs, note the insurer and policy numbers in your own records, and confirm in writing what happens if damage occurs to a neighbouring unit or common property — whose policy responds, and how a claim would be filed. This sits alongside the other paper checks that matter before signing: payment terms, warranty duration, and what the quotation actually includes.

If you already have a quotation in hand and want a second pair of eyes on the fuller picture — payment schedule, warranty, scope gaps, and the questions worth raising with your contractor — PRDT's Quotation Comparison reviews it structurally before you sign.