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Straits Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Straits Times
Two men, four companies charged for providing illegal short-term rental of private properties
Two men, four companies charged for providing illegal short-term rental of private properties SINGAPORE - Two men and the companies under their charge have been hauled to court for providing unauthorised short-term accommodation at 50 private residences in Singapore. On July 1, James Chua Jr., also known as Chua Yun Da, 44, was given 90 charges under the Planning Act for allegedly renting out 90 units at 22 private residential developments. The three companies where Chua is a director – MR Singapore, Metro Relocations, and Cleaning Centre – were also handed a total of 90 charges. In a separate case, Joshua Goh Keng Hong, 47, the former chief operating officer of ST Hospitality, was earlier charged along with the company on June 17 with 80 counts each of a similar offence. Goh and the firm allegedly rented out 80 units within 28 private residential developments. The minimum stay duration for private residential properties is three consecutive months, according to Singapore law. The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), who brought the charges against the two men and four companies, said this rule is intended to prevent frequent turnover of transient occupants, which could potentially change the residential character of a property and negatively impact neighbouring residents. 'URA will continue to investigate and take strict enforcement action against those found to have committed such offences,' said the agency in a media release on July 1 . Each charge of providing unauthorised short-term accommodation carries a maximum fine of $200,000. The private estates listed in the charge sheets range from condominiums in the heartlands such as Centro Residences in Ang Mo Kio and The Lakefront Residences in Lakeside, to high-end properties such as 7 Claymore and OUE Twin Peaks in the Orchard area. Several properties were in the Central Business District , such as V on Shenton, 76 Shenton along Shenton Way, and the Robinson Suites condominium at Raffles Place. Court documents did not provide details on where Chua and Goh advertised the apartments or how much they charged for rental. Publicly available business records indicate that all four companies are still operating. Metro Relocations and MR Singapore are firms engaged in human resource, while Cleaning Centre is involved in domestic cleaning services, according to business records. ST Hospitality indicated that it provides management consultancy services for hotels. It was known formerly as Straits Organization. According to its website, ST Hospitality claims to have served more than 30,000 guests in its five serviced apartments and co-living hotels, through providing short-term and long-term stays. Members of the public who suspect unauthorised short-term accommodation at private residences can contact URA on its website. All information provided will be kept strictly confidential. Christine Tan is a journalist at The Straits Times reporting on crime, justice and social issues in Singapore. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
CNA
2 days ago
- Business
- CNA
Hospitality group among 4 firms charged over providing illegal short-term stays
SINGAPORE: Four companies, including a hospitality group, and two individuals have been charged in court for allegedly providing illegal short-term accommodation. They are said to have provided unauthorised short-term stays at 170 units within 50 private residential developments across Singapore, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) said in a media release on Tuesday (Jul 1). The accused were handed a total of 340 counts of providing illegal short-term accommodation across two separate cases, with each charge carrying a maximum fine of S$200,000 (US$157,379). The minimum stay duration for private residential properties is three consecutive months. URA said this rule is intended to prevent frequent turnover of transient occupants, "which can potentially change the residential character of a property and could negatively impact neighbouring residents". THE CASES Three companies - MR Singapore, Metro Relocations and Cleaning Centre - face a total of 90 counts of providing illegal short-term accommodation, while their director, James Chua Yun Da, was handed another 90 counts on Tuesday. These offences were allegedly carried out at 90 units across 22 private residential developments across the country, URA said. URA also said that on Jun 17, it had charged ST Hospitality and its former chief operating officer, Joshua Goh Keng Hong, with 80 counts each of providing unauthorised short-term accommodation. ST Hospitality and Goh had allegedly committed the offence at 80 units within 28 private residential developments across Singapore. According to ST Hospitality's website, it runs service apartments at 12 Kim Keat Road in Balestier as well as five co-living hotels in areas such as Bugis, Tanjong Pagar, Chinatown and Jalan Besar. ST Hospitality is a a wholly owned subsidiary of Katrina Group, whose F&B arm operates brands like Bali Thai and So Pho. STRICT ENFORCEMENT ACTION URA said it takes a serious stance on the illegal use of private residential properties to provide short-term accommodation as it contravenes the Planning Act and is a punishable offence. "URA will continue to investigate and take strict enforcement action against those found to have committed such offences." In March, International Service Apartments, along with its deputy CEO and two directors, were charged for allegedly providing illegal short-term stays in Singapore. The company offers service apartments for rent. 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 – some for two or three nights. Members of the public play an important role in safeguarding their neighbourhoods against illegal short-term accommodation in private residential properties, URA said, adding that they can also provide feedback via its website.
