SINGAPORE: A company that offers service apartments for rent was charged on Tuesday (Mar 25), along with its deputy CEO and two directors, for allegedly providing illegal short-term stays in Singapore.
International Service Apartments (ISA), which directly runs two properties in Singapore and another in Shanghai, faces nine charges over the unauthorised development of private residential properties.
Its deputy CEO, 38-year-old Chinese national Piao Xianfen, was handed eight counts for the same offence.
Two ISA directors – Peter Liu Tak Ming from Hong Kong and Malaysian Lee Ming Fong – each face 10 counts of the same offence. Both are Singapore permanent residents.
It is illegal to rent private residential properties for less than three months.
“This is to prevent frequent turnover of transient occupants, which changes the residential character of a property and could negatively impact neighbouring residents,” the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) said in a media release on Tuesday.
According to ISA’s website, the company has been providing corporate service and residential apartments for rent since 1992, with locations ranging from Tanjong Katong to Raeburn Park in the Tanjong Pagar area. It also rents out existing condominium units such as Clavon in Clementi and 26 Newton near Orchard Road.
According to court documents, the alleged offences involve properties located at West Coast Walk, Stirling Road, Thomson Road, Commonwealth Avenue, Alexandra Road and Dover Rise.
“The company and three individuals are alleged to have provided short-term accommodation at various private residential properties, which contravenes the Planning Act and are offences punishable under the Act,” said URA.
The agency added that it takes a serious stance on the illegal use of private residential properties to provide short-term accommodation.
“URA will continue to investigate and take strict enforcement action against those found to have committed such offences. If found guilty under the Planning Act, offenders can be fined up to S$200,000 per charge,” it added.
A check by CNA showed that ISA’s website states that its residential apartments require a minimum booking period of three months.
In July last year, the Housing Board and URA jointly told CNA that a total of 71 offenders had been fined since 2019 for providing illegal short-term stays in Singapore.
Of these, 64 were fined for providing such stays in private properties.
Another 15 people were taken to court and prosecuted for providing short stays in private properties.
This came after CNA found more than 15 Airbnb listings in Singapore offering such short-term accommodation – some for two or three nights.
Members of the public can report suspected short-stay cases at private residential properties by providing feedback on URA’s website.
