Monitoring of and Investigations into Illegal Short-term Rental Listings on Online Platforms

Mr Abdul Muhaimin Abdul Malik asked the Minister for National Development (a) whether the Ministry conducts active monitoring of illegal short-term rental listings on online platforms; and (b) how many public reports were received and investigated by the Ministry regarding suspected illegal short-term rentals since 2017; and (c) how many of these cases have led to prosecution.

Mr Chee Hong Tat: The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) actively monitors rental listings on online platforms. Depending on the severity of the case, URA takes a range of enforcement actions against illegal short-term rentals in private residential properties, including Court prosecution for egregious cases.

Since 2017, URA has investigated about 3,600 cases of illegal short-term rentals and prosecuted 35 offenders in Court.