Property News · August 2, 2017

Illegal short-term rentals on the rise, neighbours encouraged to report suspicious activity


View of high-end private apartments in the Orchard Road area.
More private property owners in Singapore are renting out their units for short-term stays via apps such as Airbnb, which is illegal under the law.  
According to the Ministry of National Development (MND), the number of reported cases rose from 377 in 2015 to 608 last year. In 2017, there have already been 415 cases reported as of July.
Responding to a parliamentary query from Tanjong Pagar GRC MP Melvin Yong on Tuesday (1 August), the ministry said that residents who suspect their neighbours of conducting short-term rentals can provide feedback to the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA).
Those found violating the rules are served with an enforcement notice to cease any unauthorised use. “In most cases, offenders have complied and ceased the unauthorised use,” said the MND.
However, the authorities will take court action against recalcitrant offenders, as well as those operating multiple short-term rental units in a single development.
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The minimum period for short-term rentals of private homes was reduced from six to three months at the end of June. Short-term stays of less than three consecutive months are still disallowed.
The URA is currently reviewing possible guidelines to facilitate short-term rentals, and intends to conduct a public consultation to seek feedback on the issue.
More details will be provided at a later date.
 
Romesh Navaratnarajah, Senior Editor at PropertyGuru, wrote this story. To contact him about this or other stories, email romesh@propertyguru.com.sg

Source : proppertyguru.com.sg/Property Market
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