Questionnaire on Short-Term Stays

[TABee]

Extended to 23 February 2015

Illegal Short Term Stay On The Rise Year 2012

http://www.propertyguru.com.sg/prope...ls-on-the-rise

URA Seeks Feedback on ST Rental 2015

http://ura.sg/shorttermstays

Please say no. Past few days several valid NOs on ST Forum.

URA must implement strict enforcement.

What if short term stayers come drink, fight, create havoc at our different festivals and run away? How to catch? Jails overloaded? Tax money wasted on tackling crime that could have been avoided.

If URA wants to allow, MUST REGISTER AS BUSINESSES AND PAST NOTICE ON MAIN DOOR AND ENSURE PHOTO PASTED ON NOTICE BOARD OF IN COMMON AREA. X% rental goes to management fund. Our BMSMA is not enough to handle transient stays.

[Allthepies]

Agree agree! NO NO to short term stay!

[Regulators]

You sound very insecure.

Agree agree! NO NO to short term stay!

[TABee]

New questions! Ask friends and family do the survey say NO!

Unless your security is more strict than City Square Residences who makes sure everyone shows their photo access card which cannot be forged.

[teddybear]

Don't think any honourable resident in my estate want to be subjected to such scrutiny.......
The security guards should remember our car license plates and our faces, and not we show them photo access card (like City Square Residences)!

Oh by the way, City Square Residences security or environment so bad that they need to implement photo access card?????

New questions! Ask friends and family do the survey say NO!

Unless your security is more strict than City Square Residences who makes sure everyone shows their photo access card which cannot be forged.

[TABee]

Yes. But we know this is down to the staff performing their duties. Some condos so huge and so many visitors, guard cannot recognise all. New guard also problem.

You also have strangers trailing behind residents entering or vehicles following close behind.

If guards do not perform their duties well, guards are useless.

Small condos you will know who are the residents but bigger ones, how to recognise? For many years, people have snuck into condominiums to swim knowing how guards work. When questioned, they just claim wrong condo and guard just give warning. Who wants to make police reports, give statements, go court?

Many states in USA have already banned those sites for safety reasons and difficult to enforce laws.

Imagine Day 1 you ask a stranger where he/she going, she offended, last hour of stay, break faucets or pool facilities then fly off, how to catch?

Many condo advertise 24hr security actually means they have CCTV located. Working or not is another thing. Sometimes, CCTV is not working when you ask for footage. Those are tricks of lousy management council collaborating with managing agent. How to prove?

[CondoWE]

I voted for NO NO...!

[TABee]

Please spread the word around to complete the survey. The new survey hints that it will be allowed but laws set.

Can you imagine when the stranger is leaving the area, commits a crime then rushes to the airport, how to catch?

Damage done.

URA should tighten the existing laws to enforce and disallow illegal ST rental of less than 6 months. More than 6 months IC needs to be updated right now.

[teddybear]

If GOVT allow short-term rental, sooner or later below things will happen, and Singapore tourism industry will GO DOWN THE DRAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Italian couchsurfing host 'drugged and raped' Australian, other women

Friday, February 6, 2015 - 21:29
AFP
ROME - An Italian policeman who posed as an amiable host on the Couchsurfing.com website has been charged with drugging and raping a 16-year-old Australian and may have done the same to up to 15 other women, judicial sources said Friday.

Dino Maglio, 35, will go stand trial in Padua near Venice from March 17 on charges of raping a minor with the aggravating circumstance of having administered a narcotic without her knowledge, prosecutors in the northern city said.

The case is set to reignite safety concerns surrounding Couchsurfing, a social networking site that puts travellers in touch with hosts who are willing to put them up and show them around their hometowns for free.

Its declared aim is "a world made better by travel and travel made richer by connection" but its model has been criticised in the past because of incidents of travellers being attacked by hosts they know nothing about.

Prosecutors investigating the case of the Australian 16-year-old are also now considering possible further charges arising from a suspected attack after Maglio was charged, and statements about similar incidents made by 14 women from seven countries to the Investigative Reporting Project Italy (IRPI).

The network of freelance reporters, which began looking into Maglio's activities after being approached by one of the women who says she was assaulted by him, handed an extensive dossier to prosecutors last month.

"Three of the women - all Czech nationals - have so far filed rape charges and we are looking at the evidence presented by the other women," a judicial source told AFP.

An American student, who also says she was raped, made a statement to police in London following her return to the UK, where she was resident.

[TABee]

http://www.forbes.com/sites/ellenhue...s-are-illegal/

SO WHY SINGAPORE?

[Regulators]

I know many people are against short term rentals but let us agree to disagree. I think Managing Agents holding on to the passport of short term tenants might help. Banning short term rentals altogether is too draconian. I have travelled to so many countries that have no issues with short term rentals, i really don't see how a country like SG that is maturing as a first world country would see that as a huge problem.

Please spread the word around to complete the survey. The new survey hints that it will be allowed but laws set.

Can you imagine when the stranger is leaving the area, commits a crime then rushes to the airport, how to catch?

Damage done.

URA should tighten the existing laws to enforce and disallow illegal ST rental of less than 6 months. More than 6 months IC needs to be updated right now.

[TABee]

http://www.quora.com/Is-it-legal-to-...b-in-Singapore

More information. Please ask your friends and family to say NO.

[proud owner]

I know many people are against short term rentals but let us agree to disagree. I think Managing Agents holding on to the passport of short term tenants might help. Banning short term rentals altogether is too draconian. I have travelled to so many countries that have no issues with short term rentals, i really don't see how a country like SG that is maturing as a first world country would see that as a huge problem.

The difference is other countries are Huge ...

hotels are located in Prime locations while ST accomm are usually available at outskirt ...

Singapore is so small ... allowing ST accomm is a direct competition with the hoteliers ...and govt has to protect the hotels ..... as it is ... allowing Service apartment to be set up is already seen as providing an alternatives ...

[TABee]

Managing agents ARE NOT ACCREDITED. There is no certification or licence to be a MA. There is no standard in MAs. No regulation of MAs. We are young nation not mature that got ahead too fast economically in being No.1. Our size and close proximity are not suitable. Some apartments are less than 20m other development window. You want to see naked foreigners? Deal with noisy ST foreigners? Perhaps start with landed properties but NO to condominiums.

[Regulators]

I don't think condo ST rentals would be on a big scale, it will only be in the minority and would not be big enough to pose a threat to the hotel industry. Budget hotels may suffer from competition, but 5 star hotels like ritz carlton, swissotel etc with their high end accommodation need not be afraid. I think some competition is good for consumers and tourism, n the govt should not be too protectionistic.

The difference is other countries are Huge ...

hotels are located in Prime locations while ST accomm are usually available at outskirt ...

Singapore is so small ... allowing ST accomm is a direct competition with the hoteliers ...and govt has to protect the hotels ..... as it is ... allowing Service apartment to be set up is already seen as providing an alternatives ...

[proud owner]

I don't think condo ST rentals would be on a big scale, it will only be in the minority and would not be big enough to pose a threat to the hotel industry. Budget hotels may suffer from competition, but 5 star hotels like ritz carlton, swissotel etc with their high end accommodation need not be afraid. I think some competition is good for consumers and tourism, n the govt should not be too protectionistic.

in good times I agree with you that condo ST would not be a big scale

but with so many rental units available now ... and more to come ... a lot of landlord will end up taking ST tenants

[Regulators]

It depends what you mean by ST. In some countries with high influx of tourists, 3-6 months is considered long term for tourist rental. With the huge supply of rental units coming on board, it makes sense for the govt to tweak the rules and allow a certain degree of flexibility. Many of the ready units that will hit the market are bought by investors who are looking at the prospect of earning rental income, it would definitely be an unfair situation for govt to tax the people with hefty stamp duties, allow developers to reap a tidy profit from investors and later leave investors in a limbo of not being able to find long term tenants. I still feel that a certain level of control would work for ST rentals, but definitely not a straight no.

in good times I agree with you that condo ST would not be a big scale

but with so many rental units available now ... and more to come ... a lot of landlord will end up taking ST tenants

[Sandiwara]

I just submit my feedback and I Agree with ST

[TABee]

URA is likely to allow ST rental but tighten up the regulations and make sure tax is collected. They will leave the policing to 999 and volunteer MCs, and paid untrained MAs to manage the nitty gritty.

Everything is subject to abuse and no law is without loopholes. Have you seen strangers fully clothed in the pool? Skinny dipping? Drinking into the wee hours then making noise/talking loudly? All these are already provided for in current by-laws but if the enforcement is ineffective, it is the residents who will suffer.

Yes, this will lead to increased work for the cleaner, guard and maintenance crew. MC will also have more work to do if they are on the ball. They will have to engage lawyers to draft out by-laws to curb/control short term stays.

Search the web and see what short term rentals are available NOW when existing laws are in place. LANDLORDs DO NOT CARE. Make money first, at most get warning once or twice before fine. Maybe start with private houses only? But definitely not for condominiums unless there is sufficient standard universal rules and guidelines and enforcement is neutral. One day, you have the management council members as landlords and they control the condominium to benefit landlords more then owner occupied.

There will be unhappiness in the estate as the owner occupiers subsidise the wear and tear caused by short term guests.

[teddybear]

Remember, MC members are volunteers, they sacrifice their time for the estate.
It does not make sense to push more responsibilities to the MC just so that a small number of owners can make $$$ and push additional costs to other owners!!!!!!!!!!!

I won't be surprise that if short term rental is legally allowed, many existing MC members may resign and few would want to take up MC members jobs!
Then what, in order to get more people to take up MC members jobs, estates need to pay FAT allowances to MC members just like Govt pay MPs for a night's job a week?

URA is likely to allow ST rental but tighten up the regulations and make sure tax is collected. They will leave the policing to 999 and volunteer MCs, and paid untrained MAs to manage the nitty gritty.

Everything is subject to abuse and no law is without loopholes. Have you seen strangers fully clothed in the pool? Skinny dipping? Drinking into the wee hours then making noise/talking loudly? All these are already provided for in current by-laws but if the enforcement is ineffective, it is the residents who will suffer.

Yes, this will lead to increased work for the cleaner, guard and maintenance crew. MC will also have more work to do if they are on the ball. They will have to engage lawyers to draft out by-laws to curb/control short term stays.

Search the web and see what short term rentals are available NOW when existing laws are in place. LANDLORDs DO NOT CARE. Make money first, at most get warning once or twice before fine. Maybe start with private houses only? But definitely not for condominiums unless there is sufficient standard universal rules and guidelines and enforcement is neutral. One day, you have the management council members as landlords and they control the condominium to benefit landlords more then owner occupied.

There will be unhappiness in the estate as the owner occupiers subsidise the wear and tear caused by short term guests.

[TABee]

BCA is already going to implement that up to $250 per year from maintenance fund can be used to reward MC. This is subject to AGM.

NO to ST in condominiums without strict and effective enforcement for benefit of owner occupiers.

[TABee]

BCA is already going to implement that up to $250 per year from maintenance fund can be used to reward MC. This is subject to AGM.

NO to ST in condominiums without strict and effective enforcement for benefit of owner occupiers.

During the Chinese New Year, I see so many visitors come and go that made me realise that Singapore is not mature enough to allow short term stay in non-landed properties.

To be considerate to Singaporean neighbours who are already of different cultures, beliefs and cultures, a simple thing as CCTV installed by neighbour that points into you living room or is able to track yours, friends an relatives going out and coming home can cause much unhappiness.

What more short term stays? CCTV business improves? More reports on neighbour disputes? Will management councils volunteers (landlords/own stays) or untrained managing agents be fair and effective? What is each group of short term stays, damage my potted plants or steal my shoes when they check out? It would mean I have to keep every shoe or slipper to save trouble? Pity it may be but it will create little unpleasantness and make me want to move out.

Will a potential buyer mind that the neighbour is a popular host? Every week, you see at least 1 group of strangers?

I do not benefit much if at all.

NO to short term stay till effective privacy laws are enacted in Singapore.