SINGAPORE: Illegal short-term stays in Singapore are still being offered on rental platform Airbnb, checks by CNA have found.
Short-term rentals of less than three months for private properties and less than six months for Housing Board (HDB) flats are not allowed under the law.
A woman was fined more than S$175,000on May 27 for selling short-term stays at three units to Airbnb guests for almost three years.
Despite the law banning such rentals, CNA found more than 15 Airbnb listings in Singapore offering short-term stays in condominiums and HDB flats.
A number of these listings have been active for months, with one having dozens of reviews from previous guests. Most claimed to be "authorised serviced apartments" on their listings.
According to the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), serviced apartments must be rented out for a minimum of seven days. Those approached by CNA on Airbnb offered shorter stays of two or three nights.
In response to CNA’s queries, URA said on Friday (May 31) that the listings on online platforms “may provide an indication that certain private properties are being misused”.
It added that it would take action if investigations show that these properties have been misused.
DOZENS OF REVIEWS
One host named “Bob” had seven listings of what looked like six units, in the areas of Geylang and Katong. Across his listings, he had more than 200 reviews.
CNA secured a booking with Bob from Jul 19 to Jul 22 for a unit in Geylang that had 60 reviews.
He approved the booking within minutes. When CNA asked about the minimum number of nights required, he said it was two.
CNA then modified the booking to between Jul 19 and Jul 21. He accepted the alteration request and confirmed the new booking two days later.
The postcode he provided pointed to a condominium in Geylang called the Etage.
Described as being minutes away from the central business district and a short walk to MRT stations, the unit was listed as an “authorised service apartment” that came fully furnished.
Reviews for the unit dated from three weeks ago to June 2022.
He did not reply when asked by CNA if the listing was legal.
CNA approached another Airbnb user, named Candice, to see if she would allow a booking for two nights.
After a few questions, she invited CNA to book her condominium unit near Leonie Hill Road for two nights for more than S$900.
When asked if it was okay to book a stay from Jul 19 to Jul 21, she replied yes. Although she did not give a postcode, she confirmed it was a condominium.
Also listed as an “authorised serviced apartment”, the unit was advertised as a five-minute walk to the city with a tennis court, huge swimming pool and barbecue pit.
It had three reviews, with the latest being a one-star rating in December 2023. There were two other five-star ratings in November and December last year.
According to her profile page, Candice has two years of hosting experience and has received 25 reviews from guests, dating back to December 2022.
When asked about the legality of such a short stay, she did not reply.
CNA also approached other Airbnb hosts about bookings. One host withdrew her invitation to book her place while another took down her listing after CNA questioned them about their listings.
A user named Hayley sent CNA an invitation to book her unit after an enquiry was made for a three-night stay from Jul 1 to Jul 4.
The address given was for Mayfair Modern condominium in Bukit Timah.
When asked if she knew that Singapore does not allow short-term stays and whether a one-night stay would be acceptable, she said she has a minimum stay requirement of three nights.
When CNA reverted back to the original dates, she withdrew her invitation to book.
After this reporter identified himself and asked if she knew that offering short stays was against the law, Hayley said on Saturday afternoon that she “actually didn’t know”.
She added that she has taken down her listing and would look for long-term tenants instead. When CNA checked on Saturday evening, her listing could no longer be found.
Another listing by a host named Rebecca allowed bookings of a few nights at her unit at RV Residences in River Valley. There were two reviews from previous guests.
When asked about the legality of her listing, she apologised and said it was not for short-term stays. She later removed her listing.
It was not just condominium units listed on Airbnb. One listing, hosted by two people - Missy and Mint - was offering a room in an HDB flat in Bukit Panjang.
When asked for the postcode, it pointed to the Segar Palmview HDB estate. It was shown as an “authorised serviced apartment” in the listing.
Her place was available for booking for a minimum of one night – at S$100 per night. According to her profile page, she had one review from September 2023.
She did not reply when CNA asked if she knew it was against the law to allow short-term rental of HDB flats.
In response to CNA's queries, Airbnb said on Monday that it introduced a policy in late 2021 requiring hosts to provide applicable licence numbers and authorisation, or shift the minimum number of nights to at least 92 nights to continue hosting.
"We also rolled out new tools to ensure these licence numbers and authorisation statuses could be displayed on listing pages, enabling guests to book with confidence.
"The majority of hosts complied and listings that were not able to meet the requirements were deactivated," said a spokesperson.
Under its policy, listings that do not set the minimum stay length of at least 92 nights, or do not display the licensing requirements are not allowed to be listed.
"Where a concern about a host or listing is brought to our attention, we review and take appropriate action, which can include requesting hosts to attest that they have the applicable licences for listings, or removing hosts and listings from the platform," the spokesperson added.
INVESTIGATIONS
All residential properties in Singapore – condominiums, walk-up apartments, flats, bungalows, or terrace houses – are intended for long-term residence.
URA investigated 156 cases of suspected unauthorised short-term accommodation in private residential properties in 2023. There were 160 and 117 cases in 2022 and 2021 respectively.
The minimum stay duration of three consecutive months is to “minimise frequent turnover of transient occupants”, URA told CNA.
Such turnovers change the “residential character of a property and negatively affect neighbouring residents”.
On its website, Airbnb urged hosts in Singapore to comply with the law and highlighted the Planning Act, which prohibits the rental of private residential units for short-term accommodation.
URA said that visitors who opt to book short-term stays at private residential properties may be required to assist in investigations if they are found staying at the property during checks by the authorities.
They may also suffer inconvenience and incur additional costs for alternative accommodation, URA said, adding that the management corporations (MCSTs) and security officers of some condominiums have been actively enforcing the regulations.
SERVICED APARTMENTS
Airbnb as a platform remains legal in Singapore. Many of the listings were for hotel rooms, which have no minimum stay duration.
However, some of the listings that claimed to be "authorised serviced apartments" were condominium units or HDB flats.
Serviced apartments must be rented out for a minimum of seven days, and have to be developed or managed under one ownership.
Strata subdivision of serviced apartments is not allowed, which means an individual unit in a condominium cannot be a serviced apartment.
Airbnb does not permit hosting in HDB flats. According to HDB, public flats or rooms in flats must be rented out for at least six months.
Under the Planning Act, anyone found guilty of engaging in short-term accommodation may minimally be fined up to S$5,000. Recalcitrant offenders or those who offer such stays at multiple properties will be taken to court.
In November 2023, a Singaporean man was fined S$1.43 million for renting out 19 properties for short-term stays to locals and tourists.
He had listed and advertised the units on platforms such as Airbnb, Booking.com and HomeAway and sublet them to tourists and guests in exchange for rent.
In May 2022, a real estate agent was fined S$1.16 million for providing short-term stays. He leased and sublet 14 properties in areas such as River Valley, Orchard and Keppel Bay.
The transactions took place on various platforms, including Airbnb and HomeAway.
In July last year, the Ministry of National Development (MND) said HDB detects possible cases of unauthorised renting out of flats through a range of methods, including monitoring advertisem*nts and following up on public feedback.
“HDB takes the violation of its rules and regulations seriously and will not hesitate to take enforcement action against errant owners and tenants,” added the ministry.
In May 2019, URA saidthat it would not proceed with proposed regulations for the use of private residential properties for short-term accommodation. This meant thethree-month minimum stay durationcontinued to apply.
The authority made the decision after consultations with key stakeholders since 2015, including members of the public, management corporationsand managing agentsof condominiums and neighbourhood committees.
The changes proposed include 80 per cent consent from homeowners in strata-titled developments to list the property for short-term accommodation, with management corporationsto administer the voting process.
Thereafter, individual owners would have to register their intention to lease out their properties for short-term accommodation, and comply with the cap to rent out their property for only 90 days in a year.
