BCA-Approved Window Contractor in Singapore: What the Rules Say
The difference between maintenance and replacement decides who is allowed to touch your window. Everything else follows from that.
When does Singapore window work need a BCA-approved contractor?
When the window itself is being installed or replaced. HDB states that installation or replacement of new aluminium windows must be carried out by a BCA-approved window contractor listed in HDB's directory. BCA defines an approved window contractor as a firm registered under workhead RW01, and its window safety guidance states that replacement and retrofitting require approved contractors and trained window installers. Maintaining an existing window is the flat owner's or occupant's responsibility to arrange.
| Registration workhead | BCA workhead RW01 |
|---|---|
| Regulated work | Installing or replacing a window; retrofitting works |
| Owner responsibility | Maintaining existing aluminium windows |
| RW01 contractors listed | 281 in BCA's online directory when checked on 28 July 2026 |
| Also required for HDB work | Listing in HDB's directory of approved window contractors |
Two lists, not one
This trips people up regularly. BCA registration under RW01 and HDB listing are separate things. A firm can hold RW01 registration and still not be listed with HDB for HDB window work. For a job in an HDB flat that requires an approved contractor, check both.
| What to check | Where | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Legal company name and UEN | ACRA | The firm exists and is the entity on your quotation. |
| RW01 registration | BCA's directory of approved window contractors | The firm is a BCA-approved window contractor. |
| HDB listing | HDB's directory of approved window contractors | The firm may carry out the regulated HDB window work. |
| Trained window installers | Ask the contractor | Who will actually be on site, and their scope. |
| Insurance | Ask for the document | What happens if there is damage. |
Five questions worth asking before you book
- What is your legal company name and UEN? Written down, not spoken. Everything else is checked against it.
- Is this job maintenance or replacement? If they cannot answer clearly, that is informative in itself.
- If it is regulated work, which registration and listing covers it? Then verify it yourself.
- What exactly does the quotation include and exclude, and does it include GST?
- What is the warranty, in writing, and what does it cover?
What HDB says about responsibility
HDB states that flat owners or occupants are responsible for maintaining existing aluminium windows. That is why nobody arrives to service your windows on a schedule and why a worn friction stay is yours to deal with. It is also why periodic self-checks matter — the HDB window repair guide lists what to look at.
Warranty baseline
HDB's terms for approved window contractors listed with HDB state a minimum three-month warranty for replaced parts and a one-year warranty for total window replacement. Treat those as a floor, not a ceiling, and insist that the applicable warranty is stated on the quotation and repeated on the invoice. A warranty that exists only in conversation is not a warranty you can use.
Where WindowRepair.sg sits in this
We are not a BCA-approved window contractor and we do not describe ourselves as one. What we do is check partners against these requirements before they receive any work, record their registration expiry dates, assign regulated work only to a partner holding the required registration and listing, and give you the contractor's identity and registration details before you book — so you can run the same checks yourself. See the partner standards.
Frequently asked questions
Does HDB window repair require a BCA-approved contractor?
For installing or replacing a new aluminium window, yes — HDB states that this must be carried out by a BCA-approved window contractor listed in HDB's directory. For maintaining an existing window, HDB states that flat owners or occupants are responsible, and that category covers most part repairs. The deciding question is whether the window itself is being replaced.
What is workhead RW01?
RW01 is the BCA registration workhead for approved window contractors. BCA defines an approved window contractor as a firm registered under it, and BCA's window safety guidance states that replacement and retrofitting require approved contractors and trained window installers.
How many BCA-approved window contractors are there in Singapore?
When BCA's online directory was checked on 28 July 2026 it displayed 281 RW01 window contractors. That is a sizeable pool, but the count alone does not tell you about availability, service scope, or whether a given firm is also listed with HDB for HDB work — each of those must be checked per firm.
How do I verify a contractor is genuinely approved?
Get the legal company name and UEN in writing, then check them yourself against BCA's RW01 directory and, for HDB work, HDB's listing. Do not accept a photograph of a certificate, a logo on a van, or a verbal assurance. Check that the name on the quotation matches the name you verified.
What warranty applies to work by an HDB-listed contractor?
HDB's terms for approved contractors listed with HDB state a minimum three-month warranty for replaced parts and a one-year warranty for total window replacement. Check the current official terms, and make sure whatever applies is written on your quotation and invoice.
Is WindowRepair.sg a BCA-approved window contractor?
No, and we do not claim to be. WindowRepair.sg is an information and quotation platform. Where a job requires an approved contractor, we assign it to a contractor partner holding the required registration and listing, and we tell you which registration applies before you book.