With how expensive housing is today, I thought that cost would be my main concern when buying a house in the near future.
I didn’t realise I’d also have to worry about the seller putting illegal constructions in a listing.
Thankfully, a homeowner who listed a three-room HDB flat with an added mezzanine floor has been ordered by the Housing Development Board (HDB) to demolish it.
Authorities Caught The Illegal Mezzanine Floor in the Listing
The flat put up for sale was a unit on Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8 and had an asking price of $480,000.
The now-deleted listing included images of the flat’s loft, which showed a bed placement, as well as a sofa and TV set below the illegal construction.
The loft spent $20,000 to build the loft according to the now-deleted listing and caught the eye of several buyers, who expressed interest in the unit.
However, they were not the only ones whose attention was caught by the unit.
Authorities informed the owner that he was not allowed to list the unit for sale until the additional mezzanine floor was demolished.
HDB’s Guidelines on Building and Alternatives
Loft units are becoming incredibly popular in Singapore as they provide additional space – something that is scarce in our island nation.
One can only imagine the homeowner thought that adding a mezzanine level would increase the value of his home.
However, it is important to take note of HDB’s guidelines and regulations when it comes to home renovations.
For starters, it is illegal to add a mezzanine floor as it creates an additional load on the building’s structural integrity, making it unsafe for you and your neighbours.
Having an illegal mezzanine floor can result in a fine of $5,000 if homeowners are caught, and they will also need to bear the full costs of tearing it down.
Legal alternatives to creating more space (or the illusion of space) in your home include hacking down walls (you still need to know which are hackable!) and adding false ceilings.
Of course, this isn’t the only change to your home that you will need to take note of when renovating.
Some of the following are common changes people might think of making but are not allowed:
- Removing BTO bathroom wall and floor tiles within the first 3 years
- Removing your HDB’s bomb shelter
- Replacing windows (e.g. turning existing windows into floor-to-ceiling windows)
Many of these regulations ensure the structural integrity of our buildings and homes, so it is important to take note of them for our safety.
You can find some of HDB’s regulations here.
There are always creative alternatives you can discuss with your interior designer like tiling over existing tiles, hiding your bomb shelter behind a feature wall or simple paint jobs.
Of course, if you are too lazy to figure these out but still want a nice loft unit, there are ready-made, regulatory loft units for sale.
There are several places you can look at for such units:
- SkyTerrace @ Dawson
- Treelodge @ Punggol
- Punggol Sapphire
However, due to the crazy popularity and relative rarity of such homes, even if you do find one, expect an exorbitant price tag attached to it.
TLDR; maybe it’s more worth it to spend creative brain cells to think up alternatives than actual heaps of money.