Singapore abandons move for legal home sharing
Singapore’s Urban Redevelopment Authority has backtracked on permitting legal short term rentals.
It recently said it would consider legislation to allow homeowners to list their properties on short term rental sites like Airbnb, but now says this won’t happen.
The status quo remains, the URA said, meaning home rentals shorter than three months remain illegal.
It came to the decision after ‘extensive consultations with diverse groups of stakeholders on the proposed regulatory framework’ which included home sharing platforms, homeowners and presumably the hotel industry.
The agency ‘will not proceed with the proposed regulations at this stage’ but is open to reviewing current regulations in the future.
It said many Singaporeans cited privacy and safety issues.
Even if the URA had allowed for short term rentals it would have implemented some of the most stringent laws in Asia.
This would have included a 90-day limit on short-term stays per residence within a year and 80% of all residents in an apartment block would have to be in favour.
This has proved too restrictive for rental operators.
Airbnb’s head of public policy for Southeast Asia, Mich Goh called the decision ‘disappointing’ but the company will continue to work with the URA to find solutions acceptable for all.
Several Airbnb hosts have been convicted and ordered to pay heavy fines, however Airbnb and other similar home sharing website still list hundreds of Singapore-based properties.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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