Debated in Parliament on 2 Sep 2019.
Ms Joan Pereira asked the Minister for National Development regarding illegal short-term rental of private properties in each of the last five years (a) what is the number of owners who have been issued warnings and charged respectively; (b) what is the profile of these owners in terms of their age groups, nationalities and number of properties owned; and (c) what is the number of recalcitrant property owners.
In the past five years, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) investigated an average of about 600 suspected cases of illegal short-term accommodation (STA) per year. Where an offence was established, URA has taken appropriate action against the perpetrators.
These offenders include both property owners and tenants. They come from a wide range of age groups, and are mostly Singaporeans. URA has found that while some offenders are responsible for a large number of STA listings, they typically do not own those properties, but instead rent from the owners and then sublet them illegally to short-term occupants. For such cases, property owners will also be held liable for the infringements occurring in their properties, even if the offending use was carried out by the tenant.
For those renting out homes on a casual basis, and caught for the first time, URA will impose a composition fine, of up to $5,000. Since May 2019, URA has issued 14 composition fines.
For recalcitrant offenders and those who undertake STA operations on a commercial basis, URA will prosecute them in Court and seek significantly higher penalties. To date, URA has charged 10 such individuals, comprising a mix of Singaporeans and foreigners on work passes. Four of them have been fined between $13,000 and $70,000 by the Court. The remaining six individuals together face a total of more than 80 charges, and their cases are currently before the Court.
URA will continue to step up its investigations and enforcement efforts.
PAPERCUTS