Ageing condos could get help to fix estate problems, maintain sinking funds, under new proposal
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The review comes at a time when more private residential developments in Singapore have crossed the 30-year mark.
ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN
SINGAPORE - Owners of older condominiums could find it easier to get urgent estate problems fixed under a new proposal to reduce the consent threshold for essential works.
And to tackle higher maintenance costs and insufficient funds, management corporation strata titles (MCSTs) could also be told to make key financial information available to owners and prospective buyers.
In addition, to prevent a small group of owners from dominating decisions by collecting a large number of proxy votes, measures are being considered to cap proxy holdings per household.
These were among the proposed changes to the Building (Strata Management) Act undergoing a comprehensive review, Second Minister for National Development and Finance Indranee Rajah said in Parliament on March 4.
As part of a separate review of safety rules, condominiums and other private buildings could also get lift and escalator safety upgrades partially paid for by the Government, she added.
Explaining the rationale for the changes during the debate on the Ministry of National Development’s budget, Ms Indranee said that some MCSTs and owners face rising maintenance costs, ageing facilities and the challenges of collective decision-making to make improvements. Such issues must be addressed to ensure estates remain liveable and meet residents’ needs, particularly those of seniors, she added.
The review comes at a time when more private residential developments in Singapore have crossed the 30-year mark. Over 1,000 of 3,750 such developments are at least 30 years old.
In August 2025, The Straits Times reported that such older developments are increasingly struggling with maintenance issues
Some owners and MCST council members subsequently called for stronger management rules and government support
The issue was brought up on March 4, with Mr Henry Kwek (Kebun Baru) saying the authorities should ensure that MCSTs build up adequate reserves early and review the governance of MCSTs.
Ms Indranee said that many MCSTs start collecting funds for lift replacement only when the ageing lifts begin to experience wear and tear and parts become obsolete. “If the MCSTs do not have sufficient sinking funds, they will need to collect special levies from unit owners, which may not be an insignificant sum, and for which the owners may not be prepared.”
To address this issue, MCSTs could be required to publish key information about their finances in a standard format, so owners and prospective buyers can assess a project’s financial health and the adequacy of its sinking funds.
Measures are being proposed to deal with small groups of owners who hold large numbers of proxy votes, controlling decisions in ways that do not reflect the broader interest of owners.
A proxy is a person who has been authorised by a home owner to represent him or her at a general meeting. Currently, an appointed proxy can represent only a maximum of two lots, or 2 per cent of the total number of lots in the development, whichever is higher.
Ms Indranee did not elaborate on the proposed lower consent thresholds to get essential works done.
But the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) said in a separate statement that it is considering lowering the resolution requirements for essential infrastructural upgrades. These include the installation of essential facilities, senior-friendly features and solar panels.
Currently, a special resolution of 75 per cent share value is needed for such improvement works. BCA is prepared to reduce this to a 50 per cent simple majority or share value.
BCA has been engaging strata stakeholders on some of these proposed changes since June 2025, said Ms Indranee. A public consultation will be held from March 9 to April 8, 2026, and residents of strata developments are encouraged to share their views.
Making buildings safer
Mr Kwek, who chairs the Government Parliamentary Committee for National Development, suggested that the Government consider targeted support such as funding assistance for lift replacements, senior-friendly upgrading and other improvement or maintenance works.
Ms Indranee said the ministry is studying measures to improve the safety and accessibility of buildings and infrastructure, especially older lifts and escalators. To ensure that such equipment keeps pace with modern safety standards, the Government is considering partially funding “select essential safety features to eligible private building owners and operators”, she added.
These would help ensure that such ageing lifts and escalators have features that regulate their speed and movement, she noted. She said more details will be shared when ready.
She pointed out that accessibility needs will increase as the population ages, but such standards were less developed when many older buildings were built.
Her ministry is reviewing the Accessibility Fund to help people navigate their living environment more safely, she said.
This includes expanding the fund to cover more private buildings, increasing the amount of co-funding support, and allowing funding to cover features such as senior-friendly fitness stations and dementia-friendly signage.
Introduced in 2007, the fund provides co-funding to encourage private building owners to upgrade their properties with accessibility and universal design features.
To date, about $20 million from the fund has been used for such improvements across various private building types.
The proposed changes are aimed at boosting participation and reducing the cost for private developments to make accessibility improvements, said Ms Indranee.
She said the Government will partner industry stakeholders to uplift the quantity surveying profession.
BCA will set up a dedicated workgroup to strengthen capabilities, talent pipelines and the profession’s value proposition to support Singapore’s building plans.
