Office insurance in Singapore: covers for a tenant-occupied office
What an office business in Singapore must insure
WICA is the one cover the law requires of an office business. The Ministry of Manpower sets the rules.
- Every employee doing manual work must be insured, whatever the salary. Office cleaners, dispatch staff and technicians count as manual.
- Every non-manual employee earning S$2,600 a month or less must be insured. The figure excludes overtime, bonus, annual wage supplement, incentives and allowances.
- Non-manual staff earning more are optional to insure. The employer must still pay any valid claim.
- Failing to insure a required employee carries a fine of up to S$10,000, jail of up to 12 months, or both.
The salary test is explained in is WICA compulsory for office staff.
The lease adds contractual requirements. Most office leases require the tenant to insure its fit-out and to hold public liability cover. Many require the landlord to be named on the policy. The tenant must read the insurance clause before choosing limits.
Covers most office businesses carry
| Cover | Why | Compulsory? |
|---|---|---|
| Work injury compensation (WICA) | Pays statutory compensation for injured employees | Yes, for manual staff and non-manual staff earning S$2,600 or less |
| Property all risks on contents and fit-out | Pays to replace renovations, furniture and equipment after fire, water damage or theft | No, but most leases require fit-out cover |
| Public liability | Pays injury and damage claims from visitors and the public | No, but most leases require it |
| Business interruption | Pays lost gross profit or rent while the office cannot be used | No |
| Money | Pays for cash stolen from the premises or in transit | No |
| Group personal accident | Pays fixed benefits for accidental death or injury, at work or outside it | No |
| Professional indemnity | Pays claims of negligent advice or service | No, except for regulated professions |
| Cyber | Pays breach response costs, data restoration and liability | No |
Packages bundle the first five covers for small offices. A typical SME office package includes all risks, consequential loss, rental expenses, money, personal accident and public liability. WICA is an optional section priced per employee. Some office plans cover contents but exclude stock, which matters for a business holding samples or inventory on site.
Risks specific to offices
Offices have low fire loads but concentrated values. SCDF recorded 471 fires at non-residential premises in 2025, up 13.5%, and 43.5% were electrical in origin. Three exposures cause most office claims.
Water damage. A burst pipe, sprinkler leak or air-conditioning overflow can damage fit-out and equipment on several floors. The tenant's policy pays for its own fit-out. The landlord's policy covers the building.
Theft and accidental damage. Laptops, servers and screens are high-value and portable. Theft without forced entry is often excluded or limited, so the wording matters.
Denial of access. A fire elsewhere in the building, or an order by a public authority, can close the office. Package consequential loss sections usually apply a time excess of several days to closure by public authority order. Larger businesses buy business interruption cover on gross profit.
Two further points apply to tenants. Fit-out paid for by the tenant is the tenant's to insure, even when it stays at the end of the lease. Glass partitions and shopfront glass inside the unit usually fall to the tenant. Packages cover plate glass breakage up to a set sub-limit, which a fully glazed office can exceed.
What moves the premium
The premium for an office tenant follows six factors.
| Price driver | Direction of premium |
|---|---|
| Higher fit-out and equipment sum insured | Higher, bought in fixed top-up steps on a package |
| Higher public liability limit required by the lease | Higher; each extra block costs less than the first |
| More staff, higher wages or more manual roles | Higher WICA premium |
| Basement or road-level unit | Higher flood excess |
| Premises shared or sublet | Outside package terms; rated individually |
| Claim-free years | Lower; packages give a no-claim discount at renewal |
Sum insured means fit-out and equipment at full reinstatement value, not book value. Co-working and shared offices fall outside most packages, so they need individual rating.
Property claims in Singapore rose 60.5% in 2025, according to the General Insurance Association of Singapore. Premiums grew 4.1%. Office tenants with current valuations face fewer surprises at renewal.
What the broker needs from you
A broker places office insurance from a short set of documents and figures.
- The lease's insurance clause, including required limits and any named parties.
- The fit-out cost and the date it was completed.
- A list of equipment with replacement values, including IT hardware.
- Headcount by role, with annual wages for manual and non-manual staff.
- Cash held on the premises and carried to the bank.
- Annual gross profit, if business interruption cover is wanted.
- Claims for the last few policy years, with dates and amounts.
- Details of building protection: sprinklers, alarms and access control.
With these, the broker checks whether a package fits or whether separate policies are needed. Office businesses above package limits are placed on the commercial property form with separate liability and WICA policies.
Frequently asked questions
Does my landlord's building policy cover my office fit-out?
Usually not. The landlord or management corporation insures the building structure and common property. Fit-out the tenant installed, and the tenant's contents, are the tenant's to insure.
Do office staff need WICA cover?
Non-manual staff earning S$2,600 a month or less must be insured, and manual staff at any salary. Staff above that threshold are optional to insure. The employer pays any valid claim either way.
Is cyber cover part of an office package?
Not usually. Office packages cover physical loss, liability and money. Cyber insurance for breach response and data liability is bought as a separate policy.
What limit of public liability does a Grade A landlord ask for?
The lease sets it, and it differs by building and landlord. SME office packages offer a base limit with top-ups in fixed steps. Larger limits are rated individually. The broker reads the lease before setting the limit.
Sources
- MOM: Work injury compensation insurance
- GIA: Annual general insurance sector results 2025
- SCDF: Annual statistics on EMS, fire and enforcement 2025/annual-statistics/scdf-annual-statistics-on-ems-fire-enforcement-2025.pdf)
General information only, not advice on any particular policy. Cover depends on the policy wording and the insurer's terms.