What does the free UEN check show, and what does it not show?

The free UEN check shows the registered name, Live status, entity type, incorporation date, registered address, and SSIC business activity codes. It does not show directors, shareholders, charges, or credit standing. Those need the paid S$5.50 BizFile profile.

What should a fire protection quotation include?

Equipment by brand and model, installation scope, who handles fire safety submissions and approvals, testing and commissioning, warranty terms, and the maintenance schedule and price after year one. Get all of it in the signed contract, not in chat.

What is the biggest red flag before paying a fire or security deposit?

A payee name that differs from the registered name, or a request to pay a personal account for a company invoice. Add a missing licence, pressure to pay today, or a warranty promised in chat but missing from the signed contract, and walk away until the paper matches.

Oxaide Research • 14 November 2026

Check a Fire and Security Firm Before Paying a Deposit in Singapore

Safety work deserves a paper check first

Fire alarms, extinguishers, CCTV, and access control protect people and property, which is exactly why the deposit deserves a check. A firm that installs safety systems should have no trouble showing its registration, its licence, and a written scope.

Ask for the exact registered name, UEN, and registered address before you pay anything. Then run the checks below and keep the results with your quotation.

What the free data shows, and what it does not

The free UEN lookup shows the registered name, Live status, entity type, incorporation date, registered address, and SSIC business activity codes. The free GST check shows whether the name is GST registered. That is enough to catch the common failures: a struck-off entity, a lookalike trading name with a different UEN, or a GST charge from a business that is not GST registered.

The free snapshot does not show directors, shareholders, charges, or credit standing. Do not claim otherwise. If you need officers, ownership, or charges, that detail sits in the paid S$5.50 BizFile profile. A clean free result means the public register did not contradict the payment request on the day you checked. It never guarantees the firm will perform.

The ten-minute check before any deposit

Copy the UEN from the quotation and search it on ACRA BizFile or our free UEN lookup. Search by UEN, not by name.
Confirm status is Live, note the entity type and incorporation date, and check the registered address is a credible business address.
Compare the registered name and UEN against the quotation, the invoice, and the bank payee name. All three must match exactly.
If GST is charged, verify the GST name matches the ACRA name with the free GST check. A mismatch is a reason to pause, not a clerical detail.
Read the SSIC codes. They describe what the company said it does at registration. A code with no fire or security activity deserves a question, not an assumption.
Save or print the profile page and keep it with the quotation, so any later name change is visible.

Fire and security specific checks

Security agencies in Singapore are licensed by the Singapore Police Force. Ask for the licence number and check it with the Police before you sign or pay. A company registration alone is not a security licence, and a licence in a different company name is a stop signal.

Fire protection work touches SCDF fire safety requirements. Ask who handles submissions and approvals, what testing and commissioning is included, and who signs off the completed installation. Get the answer in the signed contract.

Equipment in writing: brands and models, not “equivalent” or “industry standard”.
Maintenance after year one: schedule, response time, and price, agreed before the first payment.
Past work: dated project references for the same type of premises, commercial or residential.
Staged payments: deposit, delivery, commissioning, and a retention sum until the system is tested and working.

A fictional example, labelled fictional: a building manager receives a low quotation for a CCTV upgrade. The UEN on the invoice belongs to a live company, but its SSIC codes show general trading, and the security licence number belongs to a different entity. The cameras may still be real, but the licensed operator, the warranty, and the payee are three different persons. That mismatch is worth one email before payment, not a dispute after.

Red flags: pause or walk away

No UEN on the quotation, or a UEN that belongs to another name when searched.
Bank payee differs from the registered name, or large sums routed to a personal account.
A security licence that cannot be produced, or one issued to a different company name.
GST charged while the GST name and the ACRA name do not align.
A heavy upfront deposit with no milestone schedule, no refund term, and no named signatory.
Pressure to pay today for a discount that expires, or refusal to allow a site visit.
Repeated online complaints about deposits, delays, or silent after-sales service for the same entity.

One red flag can be clarified with a document. Two or more call for smaller tranches, a meeting at the registered premises, and verification of signatories. A cluster of money, identity, and pressure flags is often cheaper to walk away from than to investigate after payment.

For the full sequence, read the general guide to checking a Singapore company and the guide to what the ACRA profile contains.

Research, not advice. Figures from public records as cited; confirm specifics before acting.

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