Building Control Act 1989 · 2020 Revised Edition · Part 4 · Dangerous Buildings and Occurrences
25B. Duty to notify reportable matters
Last amended by an amending law of 2026. 2 amendments in all.
Official textFrom Singapore Statutes Online, unchanged
A person mentioned in subsection (2) must notify the Commissioner of Building Control, within the time and by the means prescribed in the building regulations, of —
Commissioner of Building Control
“Commissioner of Building Control”, in relation to this Act or any Part or provision of this Act, means any Commissioner of Building Control appointed under section 3(1) to be responsible for the operation of this Act or that Part or provision, as the case may be;
that reportable matter; and
the prescribed particulars about the reportable matter that are known to the person.
The persons required by subsection (1) to notify any reportable matter are as follows:
reportable matter
“reportable matter” means —(a)any safety incident that —(i)occurs on or after the date of commencement of section 19 of the Building Control (Amendment) Act 2020;(ii)involves an exterior feature or a fixed installation; and(iii)is prescribed by building regulations to be a reportable safety incident for the purposes of this Part; or(b)any safety risk that —(i)involves the use of a building product (even if the building product was used in a building before the date of commencement of section 19 of the Building Control (Amendment) Act 2020); and(ii)is prescribed by building regulations to be a reportable safety risk for the purposes of this Part;
where the reportable matter is a reportable safety incident involving an exterior feature of a building —
a person responsible for the exterior feature who is aware of the reportable safety incident;
a person who is authorised to carry out any retrofitting of that exterior feature for the purposes of Part 3 and who becomes aware of the reportable safety incident while performing the retrofitting;
a builder or supervisor (including a consultant) of building works related to the building who becomes aware of the reportable safety incident while carrying out or supervising the building works; or
a person appointed to carry out an inspection of the building for the purpose of Part 5 who becomes aware of the reportable safety incident while carrying out the inspection;
where the reportable matter is a reportable safety incident involving a fixed installation —
a fixed installation owner of that fixed installation who is aware of the reportable safety incident; or
a person who last carried out maintenance works on the fixed installation (whether before, on or after the date of commencement of section 21 of the Building Control (Amendment) Act 2020) before the happening of the reportable safety incident, and who becomes aware of the reportable safety incident;
where the reportable matter is a reportable safety risk involving a building product used in a building —
a person who manufactures or assembles the building product in Singapore;
a person who imports the building product for sale or use in a building in Singapore;
a builder or supervisor (including a consultant) of building works using the building product for that building, who becomes aware of the reportable safety risk while carrying out or supervising those building works;
a person appointed to carry out an inspection of the building for the purpose of Part 5 who becomes aware while carrying out the inspection that the building product has been used in the building;
a person who carries out maintenance works on the building product (on or after the date of commencement of section 21 of the Building Control (Amendment) Act 2020) who becomes aware of the reportable safety risk while carrying out those works;
if the building affected by the building product is a fixed installation, any of the following:
a fixed installation owner of the fixed installation;
a person who carries out fixed installation works or maintenance works on the fixed installation (on or after the date of commencement of section 21 of the Building Control (Amendment) Act 2020) who becomes aware of the reportable safety risk posed while carrying out those works;
a person appointed to carry out an inspection of the fixed installation required by the building regulations, who becomes aware of the reportable safety risk posed while carrying out the inspection; or
an owner or occupier of the building who is aware that the building product has been used in the building and of the reportable safety risk posed.
For the purposes of subsection (2)(c), it does not matter that the building product was used in a building before the building product became the subject of a reportable safety risk.
building product
“building product” means any product, material, assembly of components, software or other thing that is, or could be, used in a building and is prescribed by building regulations to be a building product for the purposes of Division 2;
However, subsection (1) does not apply if a person required to notify a reportable matter under that subsection knows that another person similarly required has, or other such persons have, already notified that reportable matter to the Commissioner of Building Control with all the particulars required by that subsection.
Terms defined in this Act
builder
Defined · s 2“builder” means any person who undertakes, whether exclusively or in conjunction with any other business, to carry out any building works for the person’s own account or for or on behalf of another person but does not include a sub-contractor in relation to those building works;
building
Defined · s 2“building” means any permanent or temporary building or structure and includes —(a)a hut, shed or roofed enclosure;(b)an earth retaining or stabilising structure, whether permanent or temporary;(c)a dock, wharf or jetty;(ca)a floating structure, not being a boat or vessel, constructed or to be constructed on a flotation system that —(i)is or is to be supported by water;(ii)is not intended for or useable in navigation; and(iii)is or is to be permanently moored;(d)a culvert, crossing, bridge, underpass or tunnel;(da)a fixed installation;(e)a sewage treatment plant, sewer, drain, swimming pool or any non‑proprietary type of concrete tank for the storage of any solid, liquid or gaseous product;(f)a shelter provided under the Civil Defence Shelter Act 1997; and(g)such other erection or structure (whether permanent or temporary) as the Minister may, by order in the Gazette, declare to be a building;
building product
Defined · s 22G“building product” means any product, material, assembly of components, software or other thing that is, or could be, used in a building and is prescribed by building regulations to be a building product for the purposes of Division 2;
building regulations
Defined · s 2“building regulations” means any regulations made under section 49;
building works
Defined · s 2“building works” means —(a)the erection, extension or demolition of a building;(b)the alteration, addition or repair of a building;(c)the provision, extension or alteration of any air conditioning service or ventilating system in or in connection with a building,and includes any fixed installation works, and any site formation works connected with or carried out for the purpose of paragraph (a), (b) or (c);
Commissioner of Building Control
Defined · s 2“Commissioner of Building Control”, in relation to this Act or any Part or provision of this Act, means any Commissioner of Building Control appointed under section 3(1) to be responsible for the operation of this Act or that Part or provision, as the case may be;
exterior feature
Defined · s 2“exterior feature”, in relation to any building, means any permanent feature of a building that —(a)is installed on, forms part of or projects outwards from the roof or exterior of the building; and(b)is prescribed by building regulations;
fixed installation
Defined · s 2“fixed installation” means any of the following machine-powered installations:(a)an escalator;(b)a lift;(c)a mechanised car parking system,and includes any supporting structure, machinery, equipment, apparatus and enclosure used or designed for use for operating a fixed installation;
fixed installation owner
Defined · s 2“fixed installation owner”, for a fixed installation, means —(a)where the fixed installation is part of any common property of a housing estate of the Housing and Development Board —(i)the Town Council established under the Town Councils Act 1988 with the duty to maintain that common property in that housing estate; or(ii)where there is no such Town Council — the Board;(b)where the fixed installation is part of any common property or limited common property comprised in a strata title plan — the management corporation or subsidiary management corporation having control of the common property or limited common property (as the case may be) or the person receiving any rent or charge for the maintenance and management of that common property or limited common property, as the case may be;(c)where the fixed installation is part of any common property not comprised in a strata title plan and is not described in paragraph (a) or (c) — the person whose name is entered in the Valuation List prepared under section 10 of the Property Tax Act 1960 as the owner of the common property or a mortgagee in possession;(d)where the fixed installation is comprised in a lot of a subdivided building (whether or not in a strata title plan) and is not part of any common property — any person who is the registered proprietor or registered subsidiary proprietor (as the case may be) in the land-register under the Land Titles Act 1993 of the fee simple, estate in perpetuity or leasehold estate of that lot;(e)where the fixed installation is not in a subdivided building and is not part of any common property but is installed or operated in, or in connection with, a building — the owner of that building; or(f)in any other case — a person with a legal or beneficial interest in the fixed installation and who is prescribed in building regulations for that fixed installation or class of fixed installations to which that installation belongs,but excludes a supplier (or an agent of a supplier) of a fixed installation who, by reason only of a contract for the sale or installation of the fixed installation, retains the ownership of the fixed installation pending any payment of the price or other consideration for that sale or installation;
fixed installation works
Defined · s 2“fixed installation works” means —(a)the installation of any fixed installation;(b)the carrying out of such major alteration or replacement works as may be prescribed in respect of any fixed installation; or(c)the testing and commissioning, following the completion of any works mentioned in paragraph (a) or (b), of any fixed installation;
occupier
Defined · s 2“occupier”, in relation to any building, means the person in occupation of the building or having the charge, management or control thereof, either on the person’s own account or as agent of another, but does not include any lodger within the building;
person responsible
Defined · s 2“person responsible”, in relation to an exterior feature of a building, means —(a)the owner of the premises or building which the exterior feature is installed on, forms part of or projects outwards from, or a person who has charge and control of the management and maintenance of the exterior feature, unless otherwise provided by paragraph (b), (c) or (d);(b)subject to paragraph (c), where the exterior feature is part of any common property or limited common property —(i)in the case of common property of any housing estate of the Housing and Development Board — the Town Council established under the Town Councils Act 1988 for that housing estate or the contractor (if any) engaged by the Town Council and who has charge and control of the management and maintenance of the common property; or(ii)in the case of common property or limited common property of any other land (whether or not comprised in a strata title plan) — the owner of the common property or limited common property (as the case may be) or the managing agent (if any) appointed by the owner and who has charge and control of the management and maintenance of the common property or limited common property, unless otherwise provided by paragraph (d);(c)where the exterior feature is a window, grille or shutter that is part of a flat — the owner of that flat or other person who ordinarily has daily charge and control over the maintenance and use of such window, grille or shutter; or(d)any other person that may be prescribed under section 22C as the person responsible for the exterior feature;
prescribed
Defined · s 29A“prescribed” means prescribed in the regulations made under section 29L.
reportable matter
Defined · s 22G“reportable matter” means —(a)any safety incident that —(i)occurs on or after the date of commencement of section 19 of the Building Control (Amendment) Act 2020;(ii)involves an exterior feature or a fixed installation; and(iii)is prescribed by building regulations to be a reportable safety incident for the purposes of this Part; or(b)any safety risk that —(i)involves the use of a building product (even if the building product was used in a building before the date of commencement of section 19 of the Building Control (Amendment) Act 2020); and(ii)is prescribed by building regulations to be a reportable safety risk for the purposes of this Part;
safety risk
Defined · s 22G“safety risk”, in relation to a building product, means a feature of the design or construction of —(a)the building product; or(b)a component, accessory or other part of a building product,such that the use of the building product in a building poses to any occupant of the building, or any member of the public in or in the vicinity of the building, risk of death or serious injury arising from the use of the building product in the building.
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Part 4A
Maintenance of Buildings
Part 5
Inspection of Buildings and Building Façades
Part 5A
Licensing of Builders
Part 5B
Regulating Fixed Installation Contractors
Part 6