If you have just collected your BTO keys, or your appointment letter is on the way, you are part of a big wave. HDB completed 83,607 residential units in the five financial years from FY2020 to FY2024 (April 2020 to March 2025). That is a lot of new owners booking contractors, carpenters and electricians at around the same time, often in the same few estates.

We pulled HDB’s own completion figures from data.gov.sg to see where those flats landed and what is still being built. Then we matched that against HDB’s renovation rules for new flats, so you can plan your first renovation without losing weeks to avoidable delays.

The BTO wave in numbers

Here is what HDB’s data shows for FY2020 to FY2024:

• 83,607 HDB residential units were completed over the five years.
• FY2022 was the busiest year, with 23,782 units completed.
• FY2020 was the quietest, with 7,454. That was the year the Circuit Breaker shut construction sites.
• FY2024 added another 20,294 units.
• At the end of FY2024 (31 March 2025), 91,941 more units were still under construction. That is the highest figure in the ten years we looked at.

The last number matters most if you are still waiting for keys. Completions dipped and then climbed back, but the pipeline behind them has grown. The queue for renovation slots is not getting shorter soon.

Where the new flats are landing

Completions are concentrated in a handful of towns. Over FY2020 to FY2024:

Tengah stands out. It had no completed flats at all until FY2023. Then 4,260 units were completed in FY2023 and 7,502 in FY2024, so it went from 0 to 11,762 in two years. Another 11,092 units there were still under construction at the end of March 2025.

The next wave looks different. Kallang/Whampoa had the most units under construction (11,480), followed by Tengah (11,092), Queenstown (9,354), Yishun (8,596) and Woodlands (8,518). So the next big batches of key collections are spread between mature central estates and the north and west.

In a new estate, hundreds of neighbours often get their keys in the same few weeks. Lifts get booked for deliveries, carparks fill with contractor lorries, and popular contractors fill their calendars fast. Planning ahead helps more than anything else.

Book your contractor before key collection

You cannot start most work until you have the keys and, for works that need approval, an HDB renovation permit. You can still do most of the planning before that:

1. Get your floor plan early. HDB sells residential floor plans through its e-service. A contractor can quote properly from a floor plan and a site visit.
2. Open your SP utilities account. HDB needs a water and electricity account in place before it grants a renovation permit for a new flat.
3. Shortlist and book a consultation while you wait. Booking early in a busy estate gives you more choice of start dates.
4. Lock in carpentry measurements on day one. Built-in wardrobes, kitchen cabinets and platform beds are made to your flat’s exact measurements, so they can only be finalised after a site measurement.

One HDB rule shapes the whole schedule. For newly completed blocks, approved renovation works must be finished within 3 months of the permit being granted (it is one month for existing blocks). The clock starts on the permit date, not at key collection. If you plan the scope, approve the drawings and book the trades before you apply, the work inside that window runs smoothly.

HDB renovation rules for new BTO flats

These are the rules new owners ask us about most. Always check the latest version on HDB’s site before you start, because guidelines do change.

The 3-year rule for bathroom and toilet tiles. HDB does not allow you to remove the existing wall and floor finishes in bathrooms and toilets for the first 3 years from the block’s completion. Those finishes sit on top of the original waterproofing, and hacking them out risks leaks into the flat below. You can still lay new tiles over the existing ones, within HDB’s thickness limits. You can also change fittings and accessories. See HDB’s Renovation Guidelines for Building Works.

Working hours. Noisy works such as hacking, tile cutting and heavy drilling are allowed only from 9am to 5pm on weekdays. They are not allowed on weekends, public holidays or the eves of major public holidays. Other renovation work can run from 9am to 6pm on weekdays and Saturdays. No renovation is allowed on Sundays or public holidays.

Neighbour notice. Neighbours within two units of your flat must get written notice at least 5 days before work starts.

Permits. Wall demolition, changes to wet-area finishes and some other building works need an HDB permit. Carpentry and minor electrical work generally do not, but they still have to follow HDB’s guidelines. Your contractor submits the permit application on your behalf. See HDB’s Important Information on Renovations.

What new BTO owners usually do first

HDB’s data also shows what kind of flats are being built. In blocks completed from 2020 to 2025, 4-room flats made up 42.0% of the sold flats. Next came 2-room flats at 25.9%, 5-room at 19.6% and 3-room at 12.3%. Most new owners are fitting out a compact layout, so storage and wiring decisions carry a lot of weight.

A sensible order for a first BTO renovation:

• Electrical points and lighting first. Decide where the TV, desk, kitchen appliances and air-con go before the carpentry is drawn. Moving a socket after the cabinets are built is a pain.
• Carpentry next. Wardrobes, a platform bed, kitchen cabinets and a shoe cabinet are where most of the storage in a new flat comes from. Reno Guys builds its carpentry in its own Woodlands workshop, so we control the measurements and the finish. See our carpentry services.
• Kitchen. New BTO kitchens come bare or with basic fittings, depending on what you opted for. Plan the cabinet run, sink position and appliance spaces together. Our kitchen renovation page covers what we handle.
• Bathrooms, within the 3-year rule. Overlaying tiles, changing fittings and adding storage are all fine. Before we tile any wet area, we water-test it so any leak shows up before the finish goes on. More on our bathroom and toilet renovation work.
• Flooring last. Many owners lay vinyl or tiles over the existing floor. Decide this early, though, because floor height affects door clearance and carpentry.

Tips from 30+ years of renovating Singapore homes

• Do not over-design the first round. Live in the flat for a few months before adding feature walls. You will learn where you really need storage.
• Ask for a written scope. List every item, material and finish, so you can compare quotes fairly.
• Check who does what. Electrical and plumbing work must be done by licensed workers. Ask your contractor who will be on site.
• Plan around noisy-works hours. Hacking and drilling can only happen on weekday daytimes. If you are moving in quickly, put the noisy work at the start.
• Walk the flat at key collection. Note any defects and report them to HDB through the defects process before your renovation covers them up.

Planning your BTO renovation with Reno Guys

Reno Guys is a BCA-registered renovation contractor, licensed, bonded and insured, with more than 30 years of experience in Singapore homes. We handle HDB renovation from carpentry and kitchens to bathrooms, electrical and flooring, and we can work around HDB’s permit timeline for new flats.

If your keys are coming soon, start with a free consultation and quote. You can also WhatsApp us at +65 9731 6300. We are open Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm, and Saturday, 9am to 2pm.

Source: Housing & Development Board via data.gov.sg, accessed Nov 2026, used under the Singapore Open Data Licence. Datasets: Completion Status of HDB Residential Units by Town/Estate and HDB Property Information. Figures use HDB financial years (April to March), except the flat-type mix, which uses the calendar year each block was completed. “Under construction” is HDB’s count as at 31 March 2025.