Im a bit late in posting this, but I recently received a warning letter from my condo management office stating that renting out a room or a whole unit on a short term (less than six months) basis is in breach of private and public housing rules. Private home owners can be fined up to $200,000 by URA or jailed for up to 12 months or both. When I travel overseas, I often utilise AirBnb facilities. They are more affordable than traditional hotels, and offer travellers a chance to connect to locals and receive greater insights from the perspective of a local. From a macro-economic perspective, it also helps to properly allocate resources to meet demands. Just ask the journalist who went for the Sochi Winter Olympics. If Singapore wishes to be a tourism hub, it ought to promote such alternative and clever use of real estate space. I acknowledge that certain guidelines may be required to prevent abuse - e.g. such rentals should not result in any disturbances to the peaceful enjoyment of neighbours. This was the rationale for the rule as published on the URA website. To my mind, thats a given in any situation - even if you stay in your own unit, or rent out your room to long term (more than six months) tenants - the peaceful enjoyment of neighbours should still be respected. Accordingly, the URA rationale is unsound and the regulation is unjustified. Yet my condo management office spends our hard-earned money from the condo management fees, and the URA spends our hard-earned tax money, to police and enforce this regulation. What a waste of time and monetary resources. It is in conflict with, and an insult to, the entrepreneurial spirit. I find this regulation incredibly silly and am annoyed by how this silliness is allowed to be maintained. I sincerely hope the URA will critically examine the rationale for this regulation and take steps to arrive at a more enlightened position, soon. Nelson Chua 6 April 2014
Posted on: Sun, 06 Apr 2014 11:07:30 +0000
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