Airbnb-style home sharing remains illegal in Singapore

KUALA LUMPUR (May 8): Short-term rentals such as those offered by Airbnb will remain illegal in Singapore, the city state's Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) announced today after nearly four years of discussions with relevant parties, say reports.

It announced that the minimum stay duration of three months will continue "to apply", reported the Straits Times (ST).

Reports stated that the URA "will not proceed with the regulations" owing to an “impasse” on the proposed new rules between the home-sharing platform businesses and concerns of the more 1,000 homeowners surveyed by the authorities

The URA stated that "it had considered a draft regulatory framework proposed last April to allow owners at strata-titled developments to accommodate short-term stays if they get 80% consent from owners" reported the ST.  

The same framework also needed the property owners to register with URA and follow a yearly cap of 90 days per home for short-term stays. 

Based on an URA survey, "the majority of more than 1,000 private homeowners surveyed supported the proposed rules," said the Singapore-based daily.

The impasse came about as a number of the home-sharing platform operators felt that the proposed rules were "overly restrictive".

“URA remains open to reviewing the position in future, if and when platform operators demonstrate that they are prepared to adhere to the regulatory framework,” said the URA said in a statement.

Airbnb’s head of public policy for South-east Asia, Mich Goh said: “After nearly four years of consultation, it is disappointing that the discussion has not moved forward.

“During that time, governments around the world, all with their own unique challenges, have put in place sustainable rules and regulations that reflect how people want to travel in the 21st century.

“These laws differ from country to country, but what they all have in common is that they provide a pathway for hosts to share their properties with travellers. By sticking with the status quo, Singapore remains the exception, the ST reported her saying.

The company remains committed to working with the Singapore government "towards a way forward for its community of hosts in Singapore and guests who use Airbnb", she added.