CaseTrust and HDB-Licensed Contractor, you may have heard of these terms before. But what does it really mean? For the most part, it mainly serves as a source of trustworthiness and proof that the company conducts its businesses legitimately. But are these the only signals that homeowners should look out for? Our designers explain how it checks out.
HDB-accredited contractors
With regards to HDB-accredited contractors or designers, it depends on property type and the scope of your renovation. When working with a HDB-accredited contractor, homeowners can be reassured that their renovation is being carried out according to code.
To obtain the HDB license requires the renovation firm and its staff to undergo and complete a public housing renovation training course before it’s awarded. As such, they must prove that they have good knowledge of HDB’s regulations, like for example, applying for the appropriate licenses before hacking internal walls or being aware of the steps to carry out toilet waterproofing works correctly.
HDB also has an online directory, which you can check to see if a renovation firm or contractor is authorized. And to be on it, the applicant needs to meet several strict criteria, such as owing a company that’s registered with ACRA (Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority) for at least a year and having a minimum of three years’ experience in the renovation trade.
CaseTrust
In the case for CaseTrust, there are actually other accreditations that consumers can look to as proof of legitimacy and trustworthiness. It is a sign that they can trust a renovation firm and its staff to do business the proper way. For a renovation company to obtain CASE’s accreditation, it must prove that it is a renovation businesses with good sales practices and mechanisms in place to protect their customers. To quote the CASE website, some of these criteria include “proper store policies, ethical advertising, and proper dispute resolution procedures” amongst many others.
In addition, CaseTrust businesses also need be able to safeguard their clients’ deposits. In our case, and I believe for other CaseTrust firms as well, how this works is that we’re required to buy a deposit performance bond from an insurer like Income. So, in the event of a business closure or liquidation, clients can get 100% of their deposits back.
What else do homeowners need to know?
It is important to understand that there exists a demerit point system similar to the ones for Singapore drivers where demerit points will given based on the severity of an infraction. These are put in place to protect the its users
An example of a relatively minor infraction would be carrying out renovation works outside the approved period of 9am to 6pm, while a really major one that leads to immediate disqualification would be demolishing or damaging a supporting structure in an HDB flat, like a column or pillar.
For CASE, it does not have a demerit point system because complaints are handled on a case-by-case basis, but they do conduct audits every 2 years and if a company is flagged out, they can be either suspended, expelled, or even blacklisted.
Dreamakers Interior
Dreamakers Interior is registered with both CaseTrust as well as HDB-accredited contractor. Having more than 10 years of experience and working with customers to produce outstanding craftsmanship that customers call home, you can be rest assured that your renovation journey will be a smooth journey with us. Contact us today for an appointment: https://www.dreamakersinterior.com/contact-us
At Dreamakers Interior we believe that every space has the potential to become unique, harmonial and beautiful. We are proud of what we do and are prepared to work overtime to guarantee that you are satisfied with the way your space looks. From full-scale projects to small renovations, we invite you to take a look at our gallery and see what we have done. Below are some of our favorite projects. If you need professional help for design conceptualization or space planning, let us know
👉 Our portfolio: https://www.dreamakersinterior.com/portfolio 👈
👉 Chat with our interior designers: https://www.dreamakersinterior.com/contact-us 👈
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