Step up checks for illegal tenants
Step up checks for illegal tenants
PUBLISHED IN ST FORUM ON MAY 28, 2014 12:25 AM 5 4 0 0
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I MOVED into a condominium in Hougang Avenue 7 two years ago with my family. Things were peaceful until my immediate neighbour, a permanent resident from Indonesia, moved in a few months later and started renting out his unit ("Medical tourists flouting short-term rental rule" by Ms Beatrice Tang; last Saturday).
The tenants stay for only a few days, treating the private estate like a hotel.
I wrote several e-mail messages to the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) and was told the authority was looking into the matter, but nothing has been done about it.
In fact, the situation is getting worse, with many tenants renting single rooms instead of the whole unit. Most of them got the rooms through online portals such as Airbnb and Roomorama.
Why are so many short-term tenants allowed in the first place? How many such cases must residents tolerate before the URA will take action?
I urge the URA to step up checks on my condominium. It needs to work with law enforcers and the condo's security to put a stop to this practice immediately.
Stephen Lim Poh Chye
The three laws of Kelonguni:
Where there is kelong, there is guni.
No kelong no guni.
More kelong = more guni.