Written Answer by Ministry of National Development on Review of Requests for Airbnb-Type Facilities

Jul 9, 2018

Assoc Prof Fatimah Lateef asked the Minister for National Development whether the Ministry will be reviewing requests for Airbnb-type facilities and, if so, how and what will be the criteria for the regulation and monitoring of the industry and its enforcement. 

Answer:

The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) is currently conducting a consultation exercise to seek the public’s views on a proposed regulatory framework for the use of private homes as short-term accommodation (STA). 

Under this framework, URA proposes to establish a new use category for STA under the Planning Act. URA will assess the eligibility of a property for STA use by considering factors such as its location and surrounding uses. For strata-titled developments such as condominiums, STA use will only be allowed if there is support of at least 80 per cent in share value.   

The framework proposes several measures to mitigate the potential dis-amenities arising from STA. These include an annual 90-day cap on STA use, an occupancy cap of six persons per home, and submission of STA guests’ details as part of the registration process. All STA units will also need to comply with fire safety regulations. 

In addition, we are studying the possibility of regulating STA platforms through a licensing framework. This means that platform operators will be required to obtain a licence to advertise any STA activities in Singapore.  

URA will work with relevant government agencies to review the feedback obtained through the ongoing consultation exercise, before finalising the regulatory framework for STA.