Will my lawyer's legal requisition reveal unauthorised works?
Only partly. BCA states that a legal search will only show unauthorised building works that have already been brought to BCA's attention, and does not guarantee that there are none. BCA recommends engaging a competent person, such as an architect or engineer, to inspect the property and compare it against the approved plans, which owners can purchase from BCA.
From the RRD Field Guide, checked against the sources cited in Unauthorised Building Works in Singapore: Penalties, Detection and How to Regularise. General information, not advice for your project.
The fuller picture
Unauthorised building works are works carried out without a required approval from BCA (plans or structural permit), SCDF (fire safety works) or URA (planning or conservation permission). They can attract fines of up to S$200,000 under each regime. To keep them, the owner appoints a Qualified Person to survey and assess the works and seek retrospective approval; otherwise they must be rectified or removed.
More questions on this topic
- What counts as unauthorised building works in Singapore?
- I bought the property with the unauthorised works already there. Am I responsible?
- Can unauthorised works be approved after the event?
- How are unauthorised works usually discovered?
- What does regularisation cost?
- Is a mezzanine in a warehouse unit a building work?
- Does the tenant or the landlord bear liability for a tenant's unauthorised works?