Home Improvement Programme

HIP exists to address the wear and tear that naturally builds up in ageing housing stock, structural, sanitary and electrical items that go beyond normal cosmetic upkeep. It is separate from renovation an owner pays for entirely on their own initiative, and it runs alongside other estate upgrading efforts, such as the Neighbourhood Renewal Programme, which improves common areas and the block exterior rather than the inside of individual flats.

HDB selects precincts for HIP in phases based on the age of the flats in that precinct, it is not something an individual owner can apply for outside a scheduled exercise. Once a precinct is selected, residents typically get a say in which optional items are included alongside the compulsory ones, and the works proceed block by block over an extended period. Owners generally need to vacate the flat only for short windows while the actual works inside their unit are carried out, not for the whole duration of the estate wide programme.

A common misunderstanding is owners assuming they can request HIP for their specific flat on their own timeline, when in practice it arrives only when HDB schedules the whole precinct, on HDB's timeline, not the owner's. Sellers sometimes market a flat's upcoming HIP as a selling point without first confirming the block is genuinely confirmed for the next batch rather than merely anticipated. Buyers considering an older resale flat sometimes overlook HIP status entirely, treating it as a minor detail when it is a real, checkable factor in the flat's condition and future maintenance needs.

Before relying on HIP status in any decision, check directly with HDB whether the specific block has already gone through HIP, is confirmed for an upcoming batch, or has no confirmed date yet, since HDB publishes this by precinct. Confirm the current cost sharing arrangement for compulsory versus optional items directly with HDB or a current HIP notice rather than assuming an older figure still applies, and consider how a scheduled HIP exercise, if imminent, might affect a resale or moving timeline.

As an illustrative example, a block completed several decades ago might already be through one round of HIP while a neighbouring, slightly newer block in the same estate is still waiting for its batch to be confirmed, even though both blocks look similarly aged from the outside. This is a useful reminder that HIP status is block specific, not estate wide, so a general sense that an estate has been upgraded is not the same as confirming the specific block a buyer is looking at. Owners inside a confirmed batch should also expect a formal notice and briefing from HDB well ahead of works starting, rather than works arriving without warning.

Winfred Quek is an Associate Marketing Consultant at Crestbrick Pte Ltd (CEA Licence No. L31010886H). CEA R073319H. This page is for general information only and does not constitute financial, investment, or legal advice. Verify current figures with IRAS, HDB, CPF Board, or MAS before making any decision.