A light switch replacement on the existing wires
Changing a cracked switch on sound existing wires is quote on inspection. It is not the dedicated-circuit band. A new cable, a dimmer that needs a different driver, or a burning smell is a different visit. An electrician does electrical work.
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Photo: Texas Lane, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. The faceplate in the photo is not a Singapore 13A socket.
How it works
- 1
Send one photo per task on WhatsApp, with the block and whether the home is HDB, condo, or landed.
- 2
We match each task to a published band, or we say quote on inspection.
- 3
You confirm the scope before anyone comes. Licensed work and permit work are named, not folded into the hour.
- 4
The fitting is repaired and tested. Parts that a row does not include stay off the invoice.
What this job actually is
A switch is a faceplate and a mechanism on cables that already arrive in the box. If those cables are sound and the plate is cracked or the rocker is loose, the job is quote on inspection. This catalogue does not contain a switch price, and it does not contain the S$55 figure people sometimes expect. The dedicated circuit band of S$220 to S$450 is for a new appliance circuit on the DB page. A bedroom switch is not an oven circuit. Using the larger band would overcharge. Using a made-up small band would invent a price. Neither happens here.
Two-way and intermediate switches on stairs are the ones DIY gets wrong. The travellers are not “the red wire.” Photograph both ends and do not disconnect them before we see them. A landed staircase is also a height question. The lamp bands for high ceilings are for lamps, S$220 to S$380 from 3.6m, not for a switch at normal height. A switch at the bottom of the stair is a normal height. The lamp at the top may be the other page.
Water and a switch do not mix. A bathroom pull-cord is not a living-room plate moved inside the wet zone. If you want the switch lower for an older parent, say so on the elderly page. Moving it can mean a new length of cable, which is the electrician, not a courtesy. A burning smell, a warm plate, or a spark is a stop. Leave it off. The RCCB visit is S$160 to S$280 if a device is the fault. Do not keep resetting.
Fans and lights on an existing point have their own rows. A ceiling fan on a slab is S$120 to S$180. That is the fan, not the switch. A dimmer that kills an LED driver is often the driver, not the plate. The high-ceiling lighting page covers drivers at height. Do not replace three switches and hope the driver heals.
Send a photo of the plate and say one-way, two-way, or “I do not know.” Include the room, because a kitchen switch beside a stove is not the same box as a bedroom switch beside a bed. Do not remove the plate before the visit. If the paint will show a larger plate, say so. We will not chase the wall to hide a cable. A chase in an HDB flat is a permit. Surface trunking is quote on inspection on the cable page.
Homey Furnishing Pte. Ltd. (ACRA UEN 202018148K), 27 Mandai Estate, #06-10 Innovation Place, Singapore 729931, invoices the permit-exempt visit. V On Construction Pte. Ltd. (ACRA UEN 201611708H), on the HDB Directory of Renovation Contractors, invoices hacking, a new layout, windows that are not exempt, and the household shelter. Homey Furnishing is not a MOM-licensed employment agency and does not place helpers, nannies or caregivers.
What to do first
- Photo the switch. Do not take it off the wall yet.
- Say if it is two-way.
- Leave a burning smell off.
- Do not price it as a new circuit unless a new cable is required.
- Expect quote on inspection for a like-for-like plate.
| What you see | Safe check | Stop |
|---|---|---|
| Rocker broken, everything else works | Quote on inspection | Not S$220 |
| Plate is warm or smells | Leave it off | Not a cosmetic swap |
| You want it moved across the room | That is a new cable | Electrician, and a permit if the wall is chased |
| Fan does not spin | Fan page | S$120 to S$180 on a slab, existing point |
HDB, condo and landed
Licences do not change by town. Access and the MCST do.
| Question | HDB | Condo | Landed |
|---|---|---|---|
| HDB | Like-for-like on the existing point is not a renovation permit. | EMA rules apply in every block, including older ones. | No hourly electrical rate is published. |
| Condo | Same wires, same rule. A new chase is not a switch. | Management may want notice. The band does not become a mall night rate. | A deposit is the MCST’s. |
| Landed | Two-way stairs switches need a photo of both ends. Do not guess the travellers. | Outdoor points need the right enclosure. | A workshop circuit is designed, not tapped off a socket. |
How you're charged
How you're charged
These four lines are the published handyman charges. A job that already has its own band uses that band. The hour is not added on top of a band unless the written scope says so. There is no fuel surcharge.
| Charge | What it covers | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Per hour | Permit-exempt handyman time | S$45/hr |
| Minimum charge | One task on one visit | S$55 |
| Call-out | The same single-task visit. No separate trip fee | S$55 |
| Materials | Parts, unless a job row says they are included | quote on inspection |
Small, medium, and large visits
Times are planning estimates for the work itself. They are not a promise of when someone arrives.
| Size | Example tasks | Planning time |
|---|---|---|
| Small | One generic hinge, tap labour on the existing outlet, or a socket on an existing circuit | Often under an hour |
| Medium | An exposed cistern siphon, one silicone zone, or two or three small tasks on the same visit | About 1 to 3 hours |
| Large | A typical HDB bathroom regrout, a dishwasher bay, or an exposed storage-heater labour visit | Half a day or longer |
What a handyman can't do
What a handyman can't do
Permit-exempt fittings stay on the Homey Furnishing invoice. These do not:
- A new cable, a new circuit, or a consumer unit. That is an EMA licensed electrician. A socket on an existing circuit is the S$55 row. A dedicated appliance circuit stays S$220 to S$450.
- A new or relocated water point, or a hacked chase. That is a PUB licensed plumber. Tap labour on the existing outlet is S$55.
- Piped gas. That is a Licensed Gas Service Worker.
- Hacking, a new layout, or the household shelter. That is an HDB renovation permit through V On Construction Pte. Ltd. UEN 201611708H.
- A hole in a fire-rated door that the fire detail does not allow.
- Common-corridor lights, stacks, and letterbox banks. Those follow the town council on the S&CC bill, or the MCST in a condo.
Handyman vs licensed contractor
| Work | Who does it | What this site prices |
|---|---|---|
| Existing fitting, no new cable or pipe | Handyman visit | S$45/hr, or the job band |
| One small task | Handyman visit | S$55 call-out |
| New circuit or DB | EMA licensed electrician | S$220 to S$450 for a dedicated circuit, or the DB bands |
| New water point | PUB licensed plumber | quote on inspection |
| Hacking or a new layout | HDB permit, V On Construction | quote on inspection |
Ways to keep the bill smaller
Ways to keep the bill smaller
- Put several tasks on one visit. The S$55 call-out is one task. Extra permit-exempt time is S$45 an hour, not a second trip.
- Buy the part when the row is labour only. Tap labour is S$55. Toilet-bowl labour is S$168. Instant-heater labour is S$108 to S$260. Exposed storage-heater labour is S$188 to S$380.
- Send the photos first, so the reply can use a published band instead of a vague hour.
WhatsApp the photos to +65 8561 0630.
Price, or quote on inspection
A faceplate is not a rewire. A new circuit is not a faceplate.
| Scope already published | 2026 band in the repo | Where it lives |
|---|---|---|
| Dedicated appliance circuit | S$220 to S$450 | Only a real new circuit |
| Ceiling fan on a slab, existing point | S$120 to S$180 | Ceiling fan page |
| One 30mA RCCB or MCB | S$160 to S$280 | DB box page |
| Like-for-like light switch | quote on inspection | No catalogue row |
Anything not in that table is quote on inspection. A second trade, when the law requires one, is named. It is not folded into a handyman hour.
WhatsApp the photos to +65 8561 0630. The reply uses a band already printed on HomeySG, or it says quote on inspection. It does not invent a third number in the chat.
Related pages
Frequently Asked Questions
How much to change a light switch?
Quote on inspection. No switch price is published. It is not the S$220 to S$450 circuit band unless a new circuit is actually required.
Can I move the switch lower?
Only if the cable can be extended legally. That can be an electrician and, if you chase the wall, an HDB permit. It is not a same-size plate swap.
The switch smells hot.
Turn it off and leave it off. Do not keep using it. A burning smell is not a cosmetic visit.
Is a fan included?
A ceiling fan on an existing slab point is S$120 to S$180 on the fan page. It is a separate row.