Infringement of Occupancy Cap That Allowed Up to Eight Unrelated Persons in Larger Private Residential Properties

Ms Jessica Tan Soon Neo asked the Minister for National Development (a) how many cases of infringement or nuisance have been reported since the temporary relaxation of the occupancy cap to allow larger private residential properties to house up to eight unrelated persons from 22 January 2024; and (b) what enforcement actions have been taken for such cases.

Mr Desmond Lee: From 22 January 2024 to 31 October 2024, the Urban Redevelopment Authority investigated a total of 415 complaints involving alleged breaches of the occupancy cap in private residential properties. 91 properties were found to have breached their applicable occupancy cap. Of these, 89 had breached the six-person occupancy cap, while two had registered for the eight-person occupancy cap and breached it.

Penalties for breaching the occupancy cap include warnings, composition fines of up to $5,000, or prosecution for which offenders face a fine of up to $200,000 and/or imprisonment for up to 12 months, if convicted. The two registered properties that were found to have breached the eight-person occupancy cap were given warnings and their registrations for the higher occupancy cap were revoked, which means they will only be allowed to house up to six unrelated persons. They will not be permitted to re-register for the higher occupancy cap for twelve months after their registrations were revoked.