HDB says its Home Improvement Programme (HIP) is for flats built up to 1997. To find out whether your Punggol block, or your parents’ block, has been selected, check HDB’s HIP page. Once works start, expect about 10 working days of works in the flat, with an adult at home.
Upgrading works are noisy and a little unsettling for a fortnight, but they follow a clear sequence. Knowing it in advance takes most of the stress away.
This page is part of eduKate Punggol’s When You Need Help in Punggol, our practical guides for life’s occasions, big and small. It explains how to check whether a block is selected, and what happens before, during and after HIP works.
Quick answer
- Which flats: HIP was first offered to flats built up to 1986, and in 2018 it was extended to flats built between 1987 and 1997 (HDB, May 2026).
- Check a block: HDB’s HIP page lists upcoming polls, polling results and billing dates.
- The poll: at least 75% of eligible households must vote for HIP, and only Singapore Citizens can vote.
- The works: typically 10 working days in each flat, 8am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday, excluding public holidays. An adult household member must be in the flat.
- The cost: Essential Improvements are fully paid by the Government for Singapore Citizens. You pay a share of any Optional Improvements, and only after all works are done.
How to Prepare When the Home Improvement Programme Reaches a Block
These steps follow HDB’s HIP Information Booklet. They apply to any selected block, in Punggol or elsewhere.
- Confirm the block is selected. Look it up on HDB’s HIP page, which shows upcoming polling and polling results. HDB also announces new selections; on 15 May 2026, for example, it announced 18,000 more homes to be upgraded.
- Vote in the poll. HIP goes ahead only if at least 75% of eligible households vote for it.
- Choose your items within 6 weeks. Before works start, you select Optional and EASE items during a 6-week e-opting window. Choices cannot be changed after it closes.
- Complete the condition survey. It checks for structural cracks, spalling concrete, ceiling leaks and water heater connections. If you opted out of toilet upgrading, a water test is done too.
- Watch for the notices. Works for the first block start about 4 months after a successful poll. You get notice about 1 month, and again 2 weeks, before your works begin.
- Prepare the flat. Remove any fittings or cabinets that block the works, at your own cost. Secure valuables and fragile items, and cover furniture and sockets with the plastic sheets provided.
- Plan who stays home. An adult household member must be in the flat during works, and a senior household member must be present for EASE measurements.
- Finish properly. Acknowledge the completed works, collect your keys once the new main door or gate is installed, and pay when HDB’s invoice arrives.
Where to Go and Who to Call
Once works start, the on-site team is your first contact for almost everything.
| Who | Where and how | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| HIP Information Centre and project team | On site in the HIP precinct. Each precinct’s HIP project page on hdb.gov.sg lists its team and centre; check the opening hours there. | Questions about your works, schedules, leaks or damage during works. |
| HDB HIP page | Online at hdb.gov.sg | Scope, cost and subsidies, upcoming polls, polling results and billing dates. |
| HDB Punggol Branch (ServiceSG Centre) | 1 Punggol Drive, One Punggol #01-01, Singapore 828629. Book through HDB’s e-Appointment service before you go. | General HDB questions about a Punggol flat. |
| CPF Board | Online at cpf.gov.sg | Paying for HIP with CPF savings. |
| Punggol Town Council | Tel 6590 9500 (Mon–Fri 8am–5pm); after-hours line 1800-325 8888 | Common-property faults in Punggol, such as a corridor leak. |
Checked October 2026 — confirm on the official page before you go: HDB Home Improvement Programme, the HIP Information Booklet and Punggol Town Council.
Which Situation Fits You
You live in a Punggol flat
HDB says HIP is for flats built up to 1997. Whether your own block has been selected is shown on HDB’s HIP page, under upcoming polls and polling results, so check there rather than relying on a neighbour’s guess. For everyday repairs and maintenance, our HDB maintenance and upgrading explainer sets out who fixes what.
Your parents’ older flat has been selected
Help your parents with the e-opting window, especially the EASE items such as grab bars, ramps and slip-resistant floor treatment. A senior household member must be home for EASE measurements, and an adult must be home on works days, so agree a rota between siblings early.
You have children studying at home
HDB provides air-conditioned rest and study rooms at the void deck during working hours. Our guide to renovation noise, study and sleep has more ideas for getting homework done during works.
You are a permanent resident household
CPF says PR households pay the full cost and are not eligible for subsidies. The booklet adds that PRs bear the full cost of the water heater electrical circuit.
You are buying a resale flat in an older estate
Check HDB’s HIP page for the block’s polling results and billing dates before you commit, so you know whether works, and a bill, may be coming.
What Happens During HIP Works
HDB’s booklet describes each item. What you see depends on what your flat needs and what you opted for:
- Essential Improvements: cast iron waste and soil pipes are replaced, and spalling concrete and structural cracks are repaired by removing loose concrete, patching and painting. uPVC pipes are replaced only if leaking or cracked.
- Clothes-drying rack: installed stack by stack, about 3 weeks per stack, with at least 1 week’s notice. Do not open windows or hang clothes outside during installation.
- Main door: HDB decides whether a fire-rated door is needed under SCDF’s Fire Code. A home fire alarm device is installed with a fire-rated door.
- Toilet upgrading package: waterproofing membrane, wash basin, floor and wall tiles, louvred vent, toilet door, grab bar and pedestal pan. The refuse chute hopper is replaced at the same time.
- Water heater circuit: if the existing connections do not comply, a new dedicated circuit is laid in trunking from the living-room consumer unit to the toilet.
While your toilet is being upgraded, HDB provides temporary toilets at the void deck during working hours and a portable toilet with a heated shower in your flat after working hours. The whole precinct typically takes about 14 months, and a typical project about 18 months overall, but your own flat’s works are much shorter.
HIP Costs and How You Pay
For Singapore Citizens, the cost of Essential Improvements is fully paid by the Government. For the Optional Improvements package, HDB’s May 2026 figures for the owner’s share, including 9% GST, are:
| Flat type | Owner’s share (Singapore Citizen households) |
|---|---|
| 1-, 2- or 3-room | $599.50 (5%) |
| 4-room | $899.25 (7.5%) |
| 5-room | $1,199.00 (10%) |
| Executive | $1,498.75 (12.5%) |
You pay only after all upgrading works are completed. You can use cash, CPF savings (for flat owners only) or both, as a lump sum or through monthly instalments over 1 to 10 years, with interest charged on instalments. Remember that you must pay for items you selected even if you later decide not to have them installed. We did not find EASE co-payment amounts in the documents we checked, so see HDB’s HIP page for those.
Neighbour’s Tips
- Clear the work areas the weekend before. Cabinets and fittings in the way must be removed, and reinstated afterwards, at your own cost.
- Take photos before works start. Contractors make good any damage they cause, and before-and-after photos make that conversation short.
- Check uniforms at the door. HDB’s booklet says HIP workers wear company uniforms and badges.
- Bring the laundry in. Once you get the drying-rack notice, plan to dry clothes indoors for that stretch.
- Think about EASE even if your parents feel fine. Grab bars, ramps and slip-resistant floor treatment are opted for in the same window, and the floor treatment lasts about 3 to 5 years. CPF notes that EASE can also be applied for directly, separately from HIP.
- Keep the invoice date in mind. HDB invoices after works finish, and the HIP page lists billing dates, so set the money aside early.
If It’s Urgent or Gets Worse
If water starts leaking or an electrical fault appears during works, tell the on-site HIP team first, as the booklet advises. After hours, common-property faults go to the Town Council’s emergency line; in Punggol, that is 1800-325 8888. For fire, smoke or injury, call 995.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is my Punggol flat eligible for the Home Improvement Programme?
HDB says HIP is for flats built up to 1997. Whether a particular block has been selected is shown on HDB’s HIP page, under upcoming polls and polling results, so check your own block there.
How long do HIP works take inside a flat?
HDB says works for your unit typically take 10 working days, from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday, excluding public holidays.
Does someone need to be at home?
Yes. An adult household member must be in the flat during works, and a senior household member must be there for EASE measurements.
What if the toilet is out of use?
HDB provides temporary toilets at the void deck during working hours, and a portable toilet with a heated shower in your flat after working hours.
Can I change my choices after opting?
No. Selections cannot be changed after the 6-week window closes, and you must pay for selected items even if you later decide not to have them installed.
Can I pay for HIP with CPF?
Yes, flat owners can use CPF savings, cash or both, in a lump sum or monthly instalments over 1 to 10 years. Payment is due only after all works are completed.
More Help on eduKate Punggol
- HDB home improvement, lift upgrading and maintenance
- Renovating a Punggol flat: HDB rules, permits and checklist
- Renovation next door: noise, study and sleep
- Ageing well, caregiving and accessibility in Punggol
- Reporting renovation noise in Punggol
- Official: HDB HIP page · HIP Information Booklet · CPF: HIP, what to know
When Your Turn Comes
When HIP reaches your block, or your parents’ block, a cleared room, an adult at home and a careful look at the options are most of what you need. A couple of noisy weeks, and the works in your own flat are done.
And if your family is also looking for calm, small-group English, Mathematics or Science, eduKate Punggol teaches classes of three in Punggol. Come find out more: Book a consultation · Chat on WhatsApp
eduKate Punggol
Small-group English, Mathematics and Science
Primary and Secondary
By appointment · +65 8823 1234
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Checked October 2026. Addresses, opening hours, fees and rules change, so please confirm with the official source before you go.
