The master bedroom of a three-room Housing and Development Board (HDB) flat at Ang Mo Kio Ave 8 was converted to a loft before the unit was put up for sale for S$480,000.

According to Shin Min Daily News, the unit's listing, which has since been removed, indicated that the owner of the unit spent S$20,000 converting the room to a loft.

However, as the conversion of the master bedroom was reportedly not approved by HDB beforehand, the owner would need to demolish the fixtures.

Details of the unit

According to the listing, the reconfigured unit has two rooms.

The total floor area is approximately 721 sq feet, with 55 years of its 99-year lease left.

The loft consisted of a bed that was placed in the upper half of the room, while several pieces of furniture, such as a sofa, TV, and cabinet, were placed in the lower half.

Shin Min reported that it understands that many prospective buyers had expressed interest in viewing and purchasing the unit, even though its listed price was reportedly higher than the recent resale prices of other three-room HDB flats within the estate.

A Shin Min reporter found the other listings were about S$300,000 to S$400,000 per apartment.

Unit owner would demolish 'loft'

Shin Min also reported that it understands that the authorities had informed the owner of the unit that converting the room to a loft was against the rules.

The owner would also put their plan to sell the unit on pause and demolish the "loft".

According to HDB's website, a number of renovation works were disallowed in HDB flats because they may, amongst others, affect the building's integrity and safety or pose a fire hazard.

Examples of such works include hacking and removing structural members, such as reinforced concrete walls, within executive maisonettes, as well as plastering of ceilings.

Top image via Shin Min Daily News