Helper accommodation has become a heated topic online lately, with netizens weighing in on what counts as “proper” housing. The verdict so far: a bed squeezed behind a divider in a home office doesn’t cut it.
For families who employ a helper, carving out a space can be a dilemma, especially if they didn’t buy a home with an additional household member in mind. Not every home has a spare room to give, and when space is already tight, the bomb shelter can look like a tempting fix.
Here’s what MOM’s guidelines actually say about it, and where the line falls between a compliant setup and one that’s fair to live in.
MOM’s requirements for helper accommodations
The Ministry of Manpower’s (MOM) rules for a migrant domestic worker’s (MDW) accommodation include 6 specific conditions an employer has to meet:
- Adequate shelter: the space has to protect from sun, rain, and strong winds
- Basic amenities: at minimum, a mattress, pillow, blanket, bathroom amenities, and toiletries must be provided
- Sufficient ventilation: if there’s no natural airflow, a fan or other mechanical ventilation is required
- Safety: the accommodation must not have any dangerous equipment or structure near an MDW’s sleeping area
- Modesty: an MDW cannot sleep in the same room as a male adult or teenager. If video recording devices are installed in the home, she should be informed about them and their locations. Cameras must not be placed in private areas, such as sleeping or changing areas, or the bathroom.
- Space and privacy: employers should provide MDWs with a separate room. Where this is not possible, her sleeping arrangements should still provide sufficient personal space and privacy.
MOM’s guidelines don’t specify a minimum room size in these accommodation requirements. Instead, these rules focus on whether the sleeping arrangement provides adequate space, privacy, ventilation, and safety.
Is it legal for your helper to sleep in the bomb shelter?
Image credit: PropertyGuru
While there’s no specific MOM rule against housing a helper in a civil defence shelter, this doesn’t mean every bomb shelter setup is automatically acceptable. The sleeping arrangement still has to satisfy MOM’s accommodation requirements above, including sufficient ventilation, safety, space, and privacy.
What SCDF rules say you can’t do to the shelter
Image for illustrative purposes only.
Image credit: @979.sqft via Lemon8
There’s another set of rules to consider if you’re planning to renovate the bomb shelter into a sleeping area, such as built-in carpentry or a loft-style bed to make the most of the limited floor space.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force’s (SCDF) requirements for civil defence shelters prohibit hacking the household shelter’s walls, floor or ceiling. Drilling is also generally restricted, although holes up to 50mm deep can be drilled into the internal face of the walls and ceiling slab for permitted removable fixtures.
Modified bomb shelter ventilation opening (circled in red)
Image for illustration purposes only.
Image adapted from: Shuling Hua via Facebook
The shelter’s ventilation openings can’t simply be sealed up either. Any covering has to be removable, and at least 25% of the total area of the two ventilation openings must remain uncovered during peacetime.
What makes a suitable sleeping space?
Image credit: Expats in SG via Facebook
Beyond meeting MOM’s minimum requirements, employers should consider whether the sleeping arrangement gives their helper a comfortable and practical place to rest.
Unlike a conventional bedroom, a bomb shelter typically has no windows, making sufficient mechanical ventilation especially important. If the shelter doubles as a household storeroom, usable space is further limited, with boxes, shelving or bulky appliances encroaching on the sleeping area or creating a safety hazard.
Image credit: Weiken
Where space permits, some households provide their helper with a room of her own, offering greater privacy and a dedicated space for her belongings. Some helpers may also share a room with young children or infants under their care, provided that the arrangement still meets MOM’s requirements on space and privacy.
In smaller homes, utility rooms and household shelters may instead be used as sleeping areas, with beds or space-saving furniture to maximise available space.
Bomb shelter as a helper’s bedroom
Ultimately, fitting a bed inside a bomb shelter doesn’t necessarily make it a suitable bedroom. Employers should consider whether the space provides enough ventilation, privacy and usable room for their helper to rest comfortably.
If you wouldn’t want to sleep in the space yourself, it’s worth considering whether it provides a fair living arrangement, even if it technically meets the minimum requirements.
For other bomb shelter ideas:
- 12 best HDB bomb shelter ideas to make it fully functional
- An HDB flat’s $4.5K pegboard bomb shelter transformation
- 4-room wabi-sabi Eunos BTO’s concealed bomb shelter
Cover image adapted from: MyNiceHome, Expats in SG via Facebook
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