In the case of short-term home leases, the basic premise is simple - a residential unit is a home. It is legislated as such, and occupiers are meant to treat it as such. Short-term rentals run contrary to such a notion.

Owners of suburban condominiums and downtown ones have different intentions. For the former, the property is often a home while for the latter, it is usually an investment.

One legislation to regulate two different objectives would not be appropriate and, yet, two different sets of regulations would amount to discrimination.

So, at the end of the day, the argument should revert back to basics. A residential unit is a home. When one loses sight of this basic premise, there is no end to the alternatives that can be put forward and justified.

Augustine Cheah Swee Keat