Should interior designers be licensed? Some say regulation needed for renovation industry

The two industry groups said they would not hesitate to remove individuals if there are valid complaints. So far, no one has been taken off their lists due to misconduct.

Still, the interior designers association acknowledged that its accreditation system is only the first step in addressing issues such as low entry barriers, and that more can be done.

“The vision we hope to move towards is for (the accreditation system) to be legislated, like some form of an Interior Designer Act to minimally require some form of licensing,” said Mr Fann Zhi Jie, co-chair of the group’s accreditation council.

“If you want to call yourself an interior designer, then you should have the relevant education and experience,” he added. “We have been reaching out to different stakeholders … but I think everything is still very preliminary.”

With service offerings differing widely across the industry, the association is also hoping to roll out industry standards that cover areas such as standardising contracts and quotations, as well as what comes under the job scope of an interior designer.

“For example, a company may be offering free rendering for designs, but another company doesn’t. Consumers may then wonder why is this company offering a freebie and another is asking me to pay after two free images,” said Mr Fann.

“If that’s the case, what’s fair and what’s not? So, we hope that with these standards, there will be a norm for both the designers and consumers to follow.”

Others agree that regulation, such as a licensing regime that was rolled out in the real estate agent industry, will provide “more teeth that bite”.

“A regulatory regime to make sure that designers are only able to practise if they hold a licence is good because if there’s a licence at stake, then errant companies will reconsider doing things that might compromise a home owner,” said Mr Ong.

Having clear industry standards that spell out the responsibilities of both sides will help to protect businesses too, Mr Ong added.

While bad apples in the industry exist, consumers also play a part when disputes arise, industry players said.

For example, owners without technical expertise do not understand the difficulty of achieving their desired aesthetic and withhold payments even when work has been done.

“Consumers’ education on fair practice and reasonable acceptance is important as well,” said Mr Ong. “At the end of the day, there cannot be one-sided guidelines that lean towards consumers.”