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Ageing condos will not get public funds for lift maintenance, renovation and redecoration works: BCA
Megan WeeFri, 20 March 2026 at 6:50 pm SGT
3 min read
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Any government co-funding will be targeted at safety upgrades for such older lifts, BCA said.
(ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI)
SINGAPORE - Ageing condominiums and other private buildings will not get to use public funds for renovation and redecoration (R&R) works, or for lift maintenance, said the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) in a Facebook post published on March 20.
It reiterated that any government co-funding will be targeted at safety upgrades for older lifts, to add safety features that were not available when they were installed.
These include systems to prevent lifts from moving unless the doors are fully closed and secured, or to automatically stop them if they move upwards too quickly.
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“We do not intend for (co-funding) to be used to support R&R and maintenance works, or to pay for the costs of general lift repairs or lift replacements,” BCA said. “Such costs should be funded from the private development’s sinking and maintenance funds.”
It put up the Facebook post a day after The Straits Times’ podcast The Usual Place aired an episode on the topic.
The episode discussed whether the Government should partially fund safety upgrades in ageing condominiums, especially if management corporation strata titles (MCSTs) have not been prudent in saving for them.
The topic came under the spotlight on March 4, when Second Minister for National Development Indranee Rajah announced these potential changes in Parliament during the debate on her ministry’s budget.
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At the time, she had stressed the importance of ensuring that older lifts and escalators keep pace with modern safety standards, and added that more details will be shared when ready.
During the podcast episode, the topic of whether the Government is “bailing out” such developments was brought up.
“I wouldn’t call it a bailout. A bailout is in a situation where they just have no money,” said lawyer and partner at Lee & Lee Daniel Chen, a guest on the podcast.
“How I see it is (as) government expenditure for public good. It is not the case that just because this is a private estate, there’s no public good to anything that is done within it.”
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BCA said in its Facebook post that the proposed changes were not a bailout, adding: “Property owners remain responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of their private developments.”
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The money for such maintenance and improvement works – including all other forms of lift upgrading and replacements – will still come from MCSTs, it said.
More than 1,000 of the 3,750 private residential developments in Singapore are at least 30 years old. Not all will have enough money to fix maintenance issues such as lift breakdowns, spalling concrete and water seepage.
BCA noted that it is separately reviewing the Building (Strata Management) Act to ensure that MCSTs do long-term financial planning and set aside adequate sinking funds for their estates.
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“This includes submission of information such as financial information and facilities records to BCA, and the publishing of selected financial information for buyers to review before they decide whether to purchase a unit in the private development,” BCA added.
In its Facebook post, it also noted that HDB has been providing “substantial amounts of funding for lift enhancements” in public housing estates through the Lift Enhancement Programme, including the addition of safety features.
It also said that the Ministry of National Development provides funding support to all town councils for the timely replacement of ageing lifts.
“The amount of funding to improve the lifts in public housing is significantly higher than the targeted co-funding which BCA is currently exploring for private developments to enhance the safety of their older lifts,” it said.
