Should homeowners in Singapore be allowed to rent out their apartments and rooms to tourists for short stays?
That’s what the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) wants to find out and is asking the public for online feedback on whether current rules on the minimum period of stay for private residential properties needs to be revised. It is also looking at further enforcing the law through investigations.
At present, the minimum period allowed for subletting of private units is six months. According to URA, this is to ensure that nearby residents are not inconvenienced by the frequent turnover of guests.
Writing on his blog, National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan admitted that he is not a fan of the idea, and highlighted that such arrangements are not allowed in HDB towns.
“While it earns extra income for the homeowners, their neighbours would not like to see their quiet neighbourhood becoming a hotel district,” said Mr Khaw.
He cited the example of short-term accommodation website Airbnb which allows tourists to rent out spare rooms for several days, and how the practice has since become hotly debated in other cities.
“New York City has banned it while Amsterdam and San Francisco allow it but are considering tighter regulations.”
Meanwhile, URA has been receiving various views from private homeowners, with some requesting for a shorter period of stays to be allowed catering to tourists who prefer living with locals, or to let homeowners supplement their income.
But others have raised concerns over noise, loss of privacy, security, and misuse of common facilities. Some residents have even called for stronger enforcement of laws governing the subletting of apartments.
URA said it will complete the review this year and details will be announced at a later date.
The public has until 23 February 2015 to submit their feedback and can do so at: http://ura.sg/shorttermstays
Romesh Navaratnarajah, Singapore Editor at PropertyGuru, wrote this story. To contact him about this or other stories email romesh@propertyguru.com.sg
