Home-Based Small Scale Business Scheme

This scheme enables you to carry out small scale home-based activities to supplement your household income, without requiring HDB’s approval.

However, as HDB flats are primarily intended for residential use, please observe the guidelines of the scheme. If your business activity or its scale grows to an extent that inconveniences your neighbours and creates disamenities, we will ask that you stop the activity, and relocate it to a retail or industrial space.

Guidelines

• Your flat is for residential use and you cannot register it as a business address
• The business activities should not:
  • adversely affect your neighbours’ living environment or cause any nuisance, e.g. noise, smoke, odour, dust, litter, high human/vehicle traffic
  • involve the use of heavy equipment or appliances that are not intended for domestic use
  • require additional workers or staff
  • require storage or movement of goods
• There should be no physical or paid advertising for the business, e.g. display of business signboard outside the flat and/ or on doors and windows, or advertising in newspapers or online, including mobile platforms
• Business activities must comply with the rules and regulations of the relevant authorities, e.g.
  • National Environment Agency, for food hygiene
  • Fire Safety and Shelter Department, for fire safety requirements

Permissible businesses for residents

Here are some examples of the businesses you can carry out under our Home-Based Small Scale Business Scheme. Being of a small scale, these businesses should not require hiring of workers.

• Baking on a small scale
• Hairdressing, beauty, manicure, or pedicure services*
• Simple factory work on a work rate basis
• Private tuition for not more than 3 students at a time
• Sewing services
• Work as a freelance artist, journalist, photographer, or writer

* Massage services are not allowed in HDB flats.