Two men, four companies charged over 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 handed 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 a company called ST Hospitality, was earlier charged along with the company on June 17 with 80 counts each of a similar offence.

Goh and the company allegedly rented out 80 units within 28 private residential developments.

The minimum stay at private residential properties is three consecutive months, according to Singapore law.

The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), which 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 statement on July 1.

Each charge of providing unauthorised short-term accommodation carries a maximum fine of $200,000.

The private residences listed in the charge sheets range from condominiums in the heartland, 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 and 76 Shenton in 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 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 to hotels. It was formerly known 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.