Singaporean fined record $600,000 for unauthorised dormitory accomodation
URA policies specify that private residential properties can only house up to six unrelated individuals.
Following up on the MOM inspections, that occurred in December 2017 and March 2018, URA’s inspections revealed that 15 international people were residing in 1012B Upper Serangoon Road. Another 16 and 17 international workers were identified to be residing in 32H Lorong 22 Geylang and 32J Lorong 22 Geylang, respectively.
Enforcement policemans from the Ministry of Manpower had checked private houses connected to Tan and found that the many dwellers staying there had extensively gone beyond URA’s occupancy cap policies.
“Unauthorised dormitory housing not only adversely influences the housing character of the neighbourhood, but also negatively affects the dwellers, that may be from even more susceptible groups that are vulnerable to profiteering,” claims Martin Tan, director, Development Control Group, URA.
Further inspections uncovered the reality that Tan had been giving dorm room lodging at those premises for about 2 years, which he had actually transformed 8 other private properties to illegal dorm accommodation in between 2016 to 2018. The number of residents in each unit reached from 7 to 23.
He adds: “URA is going to continue to take solid enforcement acts in opposition to wrongdoers, including land owner, occupants, agents and anybody identified to have flouted URA’s guidelines on the leasing or subletting of personal residential properties”.
According to a URA press release on June 14, a 72-year-old Singaporean guy, Tan Hock Keng, was convicted of 3 counts of converting exclusive houses to illegal dormitory rental. On May 30, he was penalized a report $600,000, with the highest damages of $200,000 inflicted for each fee.
URA states that Tan confessed that he recognized the tenancy laws but decided to wage the unauthorised transformation of the properties anyhow.