Man pays S$80,000 to S'pore renovation firm found on Carousell, contractor disappears, work incomplete

After a homeowner paid a firm more than S$80,000 in advance for home renovations, the company became uncontactable, leaving the work unfinished.

Although the cost was originally about S$40,000, when the project began, the company repeatedly told him extra purchases were needed, reported Shin Min Daily News, which did not name the company.

When the company suddenly disappeared, the homeowner made a police report.

In response to Mothership's queries, the police said a report was lodged and are investigating the case.

Looked cheap and credible

The 32-year-old homeowner, who did not want to be named, told Shin Min that he had found the company on the online marketplace Carousell.

It had good reviews, and offered a low price for renovation services.

When he met the team in February, they also shared that the company had been established for 10 years and was registered with the authorities.

He thus found the company credible, and hired them to do renovation works on his new five-room resale HDB flat.

He signed an agreement for about S$40,000, with a 10 per cent deposit before the project was scheduled to begin in March 2025.

Additional purchases

Initially, when the renovation works began, everything went fine, the homeowner said.

The problems started when the company said they discovered a termite's nest while knocking down the walls and tiling the floor, and asked if the homeowner wanted it removed.

They also asked for additional payment for various reasons, including to buy kitchen cabinets and more tiles, claiming that there were insufficient tiles.

These additional costs ultimately brought the total amount up to over S$80,000, more than double the original cost.

The homeowner agreed to pay more because he was eager to move into his new house, he said.

Disappeared

The company's work was also slow.

They spent six months just to complete the flooring and electrical works, the homeowner said.

After doing some more work, the company suddenly stopped showing up, and did not complete the installation of the kitchen furniture and air conditioning.

In a photo of the kitchen that the homeowner shared, much of the space was still unfurnished, with some wiring exposed.

Paint and construction materials were left on the floor.

In October, the homeowner contacted the company to ask about the progress, and was told that the carpenter had fallen ill and was hospitalised.

Soon, the company started replying his messages only once a week, then stopped replying at all from the middle of November.

He had no choice but to report them to the police, he said.

He also submitted a complaint to the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE), and filed a claim with the Small Claims Tribunals.

In the meantime, he has moved into the house, and has been searching for another contractor to complete the work.

He estimated that he might need to spend about S$20,000 more on the remaining renovations.

Many complaints

This homeowner was not the first to have a negative experience with this renovation company, according to Shin Min.

Another person said he had hired the same company for home renovations in April.

Before the project began, the company similarly said the number of tiles originally calculated was insufficient, and additional payment was needed to buy more.

The cost increased from the original S$30,000 to S$72,000, and as with the first homeowner's case, the company disappeared in October 2025, a month after receiving the payment in advance.

Only a quarter of the job had been done by then.

CASE has received three complaints against this company between Jan. 1 and Nov. 11, 2025, Shin Min reported.

These complaints included not completing the job despite collecting advance payment, charging very high costs, and poor workmanship.

CASE said it encourages the public to request for detailed contracts from renovation companies, avoid making large payments in advance, and making payments in instalments after each stage of work was completed.

Top images from Shin Min