Landed homes

A&A or rebuild for a landed house

Works on a landed house are additions and alterations (A&A) if they add no more than 50% of the existing floor area, replace no more than 50% of the external walls and change the structure of no more than 50% of the floor area. Beyond that, URA treats them as a new house. Either can be lodged with URA by a qualified person, a registered architect or professional engineer, instead of applying for planning permission, if the plot is zoned residential, is outside conservation, Good Class Bungalow and special control areas, keeps its housing type and fits the building envelope. BCA approves the building plans separately, unless the works are on its list of insignificant building works.

Checked against official sources on 2 November 2026

A&A or a new house: the 50% rule

  • Added floor area is at most 50% of the existing gross floor area.
  • At most 50% of the external walls are replaced.
  • Structural changes touch at most 50% of the floor area.
  • Replacing the roof is A&A if it adds no storey, and an attic can be added within the floor area limit.
  • Works beyond any of these limits count as a new erection or reconstruction, the same as demolishing the house and building a new one.

URA plan lodgment

Plan lodgment lets your qualified person declare that the works comply with URA’s guidelines and lodge them, instead of applying for planning permission. URA then sends an acknowledgement letter. Both A&A and a new house can be lodged when every criterion is met:

  • The land is zoned Residential in the Master Plan, and is outside Conservation Areas, Good Class Bungalow Areas and Special Control Areas.
  • The plot keeps one house of the same housing type, such as a terrace house staying a terrace house.
  • The house complies with the plot size, plot width, setback and site coverage rules and any street block plan.
  • The house fits the building envelope, with at most one full mezzanine.
  • For A&A, the plot keeps its direct road access, and earth fill raises it by no more than 1 m.
  • A qualified person, a registered architect or professional engineer, is appointed for the works.

When lodgment is not open

Works that miss a lodgment criterion need a planning application to URA through your qualified person, and works that depart from the guidelines or a street block plan need URA’s waiver approval first. A conserved house needs Conservation Permission before any additions and alterations begin.

BCA building plans

  • A qualified person, a registered architect or a professional engineer with a valid practising certificate, submits the building plans to BCA for approval.
  • Insignificant building works, listed in the First Schedule of BCA’s insignificant building works, need no plan submission to BCA. Check that schedule, and ask a qualified person when in doubt.
  • Even works BCA does not need to approve may need URA’s clearance, and must follow any caveats on the title.

How long approval lasts

A URA lodgment authorisation is valid for 2 years from the acknowledgement letter and can be extended twice; after that, lodge again. URA and BCA do not publish a typical time for a full rebuild, so ask your architect for a schedule.

Before you rely on this

This guide sums up the official rules and is not legal advice. The authority named decides each case, so check your own plot and plans with it or with a professional.

Know what your landed home is worth

Before you spend on A&A or a rebuild, get a free estimate of your landed home’s value from recent transactions nearby.

Estimate your landed home’s value

Questions

What is the difference between A&A and a rebuild?

A&A adds at most 50% of the existing floor area, replaces at most 50% of the external walls and changes the structure of at most 50% of the floor area. Works beyond any of these count as a new house, a reconstruction.

Do I need URA approval for A&A to my landed house?

Yes, but if the plot is zoned residential, is outside conservation, Good Class Bungalow and special control areas, and the works meet URA’s criteria, your architect or engineer can lodge them with URA instead of applying for planning permission.

Do I need an architect to rebuild my landed house?

Yes. A qualified person, a registered architect or professional engineer, must be appointed to lodge the works with URA or apply for planning permission, and to submit building plans to BCA.

Which works need no BCA approval?

Insignificant building works, listed in the First Schedule of BCA’s insignificant building works. They may still need URA’s clearance, so ask a qualified person if you are unsure.

How long is a URA lodgment valid?

2 years from URA’s acknowledgement letter, and it can be extended twice before you must lodge again.

Sources

Rules and fees change. Check the linked official pages before you commit, and ask a lawyer about your own sale or purchase.

Related guides

Landed house planning controls

URA’s rules for a landed plot: minimum plot size and width for terrace, semi-detached and detached houses, setbacks, site coverage, 2 or 3 storeys, the 12 m and 15.5 m height limits, attics, strata landed and conservation.

Good Class Bungalow (GCB) areas

What a Good Class Bungalow is, the 39 GCB areas, the 1,400 m² minimum plot, the setbacks and coverage limits, conservation areas, who can own one, and how to check if a plot is in a GCB area.

Can a PR or foreigner buy a landed house?

Singapore Citizens can buy any landed home. PRs and foreigners need SLA approval for a terrace, semi-detached or detached house, but not for a condo unit or a strata landed house inside a condo. Who qualifies, how to apply and the conditions.