HDB fire insurance covers reinstatement of damaged structures, fixtures and areas originally provided by HDB, within the scheme’s terms. If your HDB housing loan commenced on or after 1 September 1994, HDB requires you to buy and renew the cover every five years while that loan remains outstanding.
Your own renovation, furniture and personal belongings need a separate coverage check. A home insurance policy may cover some or all of these items, depending on its terms. Start by identifying what HDB supplied, what you or a previous owner installed, and what you would need to replace. Check your lender’s requirements separately if you use a bank loan.
- Check whether the HDB Fire Insurance Scheme applies to your loan.
- Find the expiry and policy schedule before buying or renewing.
- List renovations and belongings separately from original HDB fixtures.
- Compare insured events, exclusions, limits and excesses across actual policies.
- Keep policy details, photos and receipts accessible away from home.
Find the section you need
Start with the coverage comparison for a new flat. Go to the policy and renewal chapters if you already have a plan.
Chapters 1–3
HDB describes its scheme as cover for reinstatement after fire damage to eligible internal structures, fixtures and areas provided by HDB. Keep the policy schedule and wording because the general description does not resolve every claim question. If you bought resale, ask how the policy treats an item that has been removed, replaced or altered since the flat was first completed.
Separate original fixtures from improvements
Walk through the flat and record which items were provided with it and which were added. In the kitchen, for example, a wall and fitted cabinets may have different coverage even though they occupy the same space. In a bedroom, look at flooring, air-conditioning, a fitted wardrobe and movable furniture separately. Ask the insurer how it classifies the actual items. Where the history is unknown, explain what you know and retain any renovation records.
Put mortgage protection on its own line
HDB lists the Home Protection Scheme separately from its fire policy. CPF Board’s Home Protection Scheme addresses eligible mortgage-related risks under its own terms. A household checking whether it can reinstate or refurnish a damaged home should read its fire and home insurance policies. A household checking mortgage protection should look up the applicable CPF or other mortgage insurance separately.
Review a bank loan with the lender
If the home is financed through a bank, ask the bank what fire or property insurance its loan documents require, when it must start, and which policy satisfies the requirement. Then review what the bank-required cover provides for the family’s own property. Keep the lender’s written requirements and the policy schedule together so they can be checked when refinancing.
| Cover | What to check |
|---|---|
| HDB Fire Insurance Scheme | Reinstatement of eligible HDB-provided structures and fixtures |
| Separate home insurance | Items, events, amounts, limits and exclusions in the policy |
| Home Protection Scheme | CPF mortgage protection eligibility and terms |
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HDB lists Etiqa as the scheme insurer for the appointment period from 16 August 2024 to 15 August 2029. Its published five-year premium for a 4-room or S1 flat is $4.59 including GST, with a published sum insured of $117,000 for that category. These figures apply to the stated appointment period. Check HDB’s latest table for your flat type and read the actual policy terms to see how the sum applies.
Use the official flat details service
HDB says you can check validity through its Check Flat Details service. Its guidance says a purchase or renewal can take up to a week to appear there. Keep the payment confirmation and policy record. If you renewed close to expiry, verify the effective date on the insurance paperwork rather than waiting only for the dashboard to refresh.
Keep reminders for each policy
The scheme’s five-year cycle may be different from the schedule for separate home insurance. Create a separate reminder for each and record where the policy is held. If an insurer offers automatic renewal, check the payment method and what happens when it changes. Review the effective dates rather than using the payment date as a proxy for when the cover begins.
Ask what changes when the financing changes
If you repay or refinance your loan, get confirmation of the outstanding balance and the applicable insurance requirements. Ask the insurer what your existing policy provides for the remainder of its term. If a replacement policy is required, coordinate dates with the lender. Then decide what home or contents cover still fits the household’s needs.
Review cover when buying a resale flat
Ask when your lender requires the policy to start, then confirm the named insured, address and start date. A seller’s policy may belong to the seller and the previous arrangement. Set up and confirm the cover you need for your own loan and household. If you will take possession later than the purchase completes, ask the insurer how to handle the interval and whether anyone will be living there.
At handover, keep the policy details and photographs of the condition of the flat. Where a renovation is planned, tell the insurer when work starts, what is being replaced and whether the flat will be occupied. This helps you establish whether the policy or any special conditions need to change between purchase and move-in.
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List permanent improvements, movable belongings and items that are difficult to replace. Include major changes made by a previous owner if you can identify them. A useful inventory includes the room, item, estimated replacement or reinstatement cost and a supporting document or photo. Keep electronic copies somewhere accessible if you cannot enter the flat.
Start with the larger commitments
Use invoices or updated estimates for fitted carpentry, floor finishes, built-in lighting and other substantial works. For household contents, start with things you would need to replace promptly, such as beds, a fridge, a washing machine, clothing and computers. List higher-value objects separately. Some policies have special limits or conditions for valuables, electronics or items taken outside the home.
Use the policy’s basis of settlement
Ask whether the insurer uses replacement value, another valuation basis or different methods for different items. Check how depreciation, excesses and category limits apply. For a renovation, verify whether the policy insures the full relevant work and whether limits are separate for contents and renovations. Do not assume the price you paid years ago is the amount the insurer would use for a claim.
Update the list after major changes
A household may add fitted storage after moving or buy expensive work equipment later. Review the inventory when you renovate, change how the space is used or acquire something with a separate limit. If the flat is let out or partly let out, tell the insurer the facts and confirm how it affects eligibility and coverage.
How to make the inventory without pricing every item
Start with one photo of each wall or main area and a second pass for the expensive items. Add estimated replacement amounts for the items that could change your choice of limits. For lower-value contents, group comparable items, such as bedding or cookware, and write down how you made the estimate. Retain a copy of major receipts and product details. If you store the inventory digitally, make sure another person in the household can find it if needed.
When asking for a quote, describe the amounts as estimates and ask what evidence the insurer would need after a loss. A product serial number, invoice or a photograph can answer different questions. Keep both the date and location with records for valuable objects. Ask about any single-item limit before assuming that the full value of an expensive item is covered.
Check how custom work would be rebuilt
A fitted item might need measurements, labour and finishing work to reinstate. Keep a contractor’s itemised quote or drawings where available. If work was included with the flat sale, record what you can verify and obtain a new estimate if necessary. The question for the insurer is how the policy defines reinstatement and which evidence it will accept.
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Choose two or three events your family wants to understand, then read the cover for each one. For example, check damage to kitchen cabinets after a fire, temporary accommodation while a covered loss is repaired and accidental damage affecting another home. Insurers can define events, exclusions and limits differently. Ask the provider to point to the relevant section for each scenario.
Look beyond the advertised overall limit
A single headline amount may be split into different sections. Check limits for furniture, appliances, renovation and particular valuables, and ask whether they are separate or shared. Check the excess per event and whether a smaller cap applies to certain expenses. An accommodation benefit may have a maximum number of nights or a monetary ceiling. Use the policy documents to see what is required for a claim.
Confirm exclusions and notification requirements
Ask about exclusions relevant to the way the household uses the flat, including renovation works, leaving the home vacant for a period or letting part of it. A policy can require notification of changes. If you are hiring a contractor, ask about the contractor’s own insurance and what your home policy says about works. Keep the answers with the policy.
Compare the premium on the same basis
Before comparing prices, align the cover amounts and benefits you care about. A lower premium could have a higher excess, a narrower insured event or a smaller allowance for a cost the family would struggle to pay. Put the relevant differences on one page and decide which costs the household would carry itself.
Compare the wording for damage involving another home
Ask whether the policy has a personal liability section, what claims it addresses and what exclusions or limits apply. If water or fire damage affects a neighbour, liability depends on the facts and the policy. Avoid promising to reimburse costs before speaking to the insurer. Give the insurer a factual account, photographs where safe and any notice you receive. Ask which steps you can take while the claim or investigation is pending.
Record the protection you decide to carry yourself
A household can choose to pay for certain smaller losses out of savings. Identify that amount explicitly when comparing policies. A higher excess may make sense only if the family can readily pay it when a covered loss happens. Check whether one event involving multiple kinds of damage triggers more than one excess under the actual wording.
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A family with a qualifying HDB loan buys a resale flat. It installs $35,000 of renovation work and estimates that replacing the furniture, appliances and other belongings would cost another $18,000. The HDB fire policy remains relevant to the HDB-provided parts of the flat. The family uses the $35,000 and $18,000 estimates as separate starting points when asking a home insurer about its renovation and contents sections.
Ask how the two limits work
Suppose one policy quotes a renovation limit of $25,000 and a contents limit of $20,000. The renovation limit is $10,000 below the family’s estimate before considering the actual extent of a loss, excess or settlement rules. The family should ask whether limits can be changed and how any shortfall is treated. An apparently adequate contents limit does not establish that the renovation is fully covered.
A temporary stay brings different costs
Suppose the family would need somewhere to stay during reinstatement. Ask whether alternative accommodation is included, what makes it payable and how the limit works. If the insurer requires approval or receipts, note that process. Keep a household estimate for accommodation, transport and day-to-day expenses. Only budget for reimbursement once you understand the policy’s terms.
A tenant has a different inventory
A tenant might own clothes, electronics and portable furniture while the landlord owns the fixtures and provides the appliances. Each party can check its own cover and responsibilities in the tenancy. If both expect the other party to insure an item, identify the ownership and ask how the relevant policy treats it.
Compare a second policy with a different balance of benefits
Suppose the family finds another policy with $40,000 in renovation cover and $15,000 in contents cover. That shifts the issue. The headline renovation limit now exceeds the initial $35,000 estimate, but the contents limit is below the $18,000 estimate. Check whether higher limits are available and how the insurer would value the items. If the family can readily replace some belongings from savings but could not fund major built-in work, that difference may matter to the selection.
Ask about the sequence of a claim
For the same example, the household might need immediate accommodation while waiting for an inspection. Ask which expenses can be incurred immediately and what proof is needed. If you plan to use a hotel, confirm the reimbursement conditions, whether there is a cap and who can approve an extension. Keep the receipt and the insurer’s reference. If the benefit is limited, keep a separate estimate for what the family must pay itself.
Revisit the amounts after settling in
The family’s first inventory may omit things bought after renovation, such as a larger refrigerator or new laptops. Update it after a few months and compare it to the limits again. If major purchases have moved the household above the insured amounts, ask when changes can take effect and how they will be documented.
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Store the policy numbers, insurer contact details, proof of purchase and photos outside the flat as well as at home. In an emergency, follow the authorities’ instructions and only enter when safe. Once you can address the insurance issues, contact the insurer through its official channel and ask what it needs you to record or retain.
Document the loss before changing the scene when safe
Record the date, affected rooms and items you can safely identify. Ask the insurer what inspections, estimates and receipts it needs and what to do if urgent steps are required to prevent further damage. Retain correspondence and invoices. Where different insurers may cover different parts, give each the facts and ask how they will coordinate.
Check how approval and payment work
Ask whether the insurer will arrange a contractor or wants an estimate, whether you can authorise repairs and how it handles damaged belongings. Keep temporary expenditure separate from repair and replacement costs. If two people in the household are arranging work, share the instructions so each person knows what is already authorised.
Make an information card for household members
Include the insurer, policy number, covered address and official claims channel for each policy. Keep the information where a household member can access it even if the original device or file is unavailable. Add the name of the person who handles the policy and where to find the schedule. A relative helping after an incident can then identify whom to call without searching old payment records.
Track a claim by expense and date
If there are temporary accommodation costs, emergency works and later reinstatement, record them under separate headings. Ask which expenses require prior consent and what the policy requires as proof. Keep the insurer’s reference on correspondence and invoices. Where an estimate changes, record what additional work was found and confirm the next step before accepting an amended quote.
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Does HDB fire insurance cover my furniture?
HDB says the scheme covers reinstatement of eligible HDB-provided structures and fixtures. Check separate home insurance for furniture, renovations and personal belongings.
How often is the HDB scheme renewed?
HDB specifies renewal every five years for the relevant owners while the qualifying HDB loan remains outstanding.
Where do I check my expiry?
Use HDB’s Check Flat Details service and the policy schedule. HDB says new purchases or renewals can take up to a week to appear in its service.
Does a bank loan use the same scheme requirement?
Ask the bank to confirm the fire insurance required under your mortgage and which policies it accepts.
Is home insurance the same as mortgage protection?
They cover different events and expenses. Check the home policy for property and contents, and CPF Board or the mortgage insurer for protection against the relevant mortgage risks.
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