CaseTrust & Qanvast SuperTrust: What Do These Renovation Accreditations Actually Mean for Singapore Homeowners
Homeowners scrolling through interior design websites in Singapore run into a wall of badges — CaseTrust, CaseTrust-RCMA, Qanvast SuperTrust, HDB-registered, BCA-registered, often stacked together with no explanation of what any of them actually promise.
Some are legal requirements. Some are optional but meaningful. None of them, alone, is a complete answer to “can I trust this firm.”
Here's what each one for Ace's Design actually tell you.
CaseTrust and CaseTrust-RCMA: Same Protection, Different Membership
Two schemes exist. CaseTrust Accreditation for Renovation Businesses is open to any firm; CaseTrust-RCMA Joint Accreditation is for firms that are also members of the Singapore Renovation Contractors and Material Suppliers Association (RCMA). Both carry identical core obligations: a deposit performance bond, the CaseTrust Standard Renovation Contract with progressive milestone payments, transparent pricing, and a minimum 12-month workmanship warranty.
The distinction between the two badges is which industry body the firm belongs to — not a difference in the protection you receive as a homeowner. To qualify for either, a firm must typically be ACRA-registered for at least two years and pass an audit covering four areas — policies, communication, personnel, and operating practices, with renewal required annually.
What the Deposit Bond Covers, And Where It Stops
This is the detail most homeowners miss. The bond protects your initial deposit if the firm closes, winds up, or becomes insolvent. It does not automatically extend to every milestone payment collected once the renovation is underway.
If an accredited firm defaults after collecting several progress payments, recovering that money runs through CASE mediation, the Small Claims Tribunal, or the courts, not the bond itself. That's exactly why the payment structure written into your contract matters just as much as the badge on the website.
What Qanvast SuperTrust Actually Measures
Unlike CaseTrust, which is a government-linked consumer protection scheme, Qanvast SuperTrust is a platform-level recognition.
It's awarded annually to firms whose Qanvast profile shows a track record of verified homeowner reviews, a meaningful volume of completed project value transacted through the platform, and a current, active portfolio — historically limited to roughly the top 15–20% of firms assessed.
In plain terms: it reflects sustained client satisfaction on one specific review platform, assessed by that platform, not a government audit of business practices. Winning it across multiple consecutive years, rather than once, is the more meaningful signal; it shows the pattern holds over time rather than being a single good year.
Reading the Whole Picture, Not Just One Logo
No single accreditation guarantees a good renovation experience on its own. A firm can hold every badge available and still have an off year; a firm can lack one badge and still run an excellent, well-managed project.
What the combination tells you is whether a firm has consistently chosen to be independently checked, by a government-linked consumer body, by a review platform, and by the regulator — rather than asking you to take its word for it. Sustained recognition across several years, rather than a single cycle, is usually the more reliable signal.
Ace's Design holds CaseTrust accreditation (Serial No. CT/7994), has been awarded the Qanvast SuperTrust badge for three consecutive years (2022–2024), and maintains a 4.9 rating on Google Reviews. We think homeowners deserve to understand what each of those actually means before taking our word, or anyone else's for it.
Book a consultation to see how we handle contracts, milestones, and communication in practice.