Singaporean fined record $600,000 for unauthorised dormitory accomodation
According to a URA news release on June 14, a 72-year-old Singaporean guy, Tan Hock Keng, was founded guilty of three counts of switching exclusive residential properties to illegal dorm room rental. On May 30, he was penalized a record $600,000, with the optimum penalty of $200,000 inflicted for each fee.
Enforcement police officers from the Ministry of Manpower had checked private homes associated to Tan and located that the number of tenants living there had actually drastically surpassed URA’s occupancy cap rules.
Further inspections uncovered the fact that Tan had been supplying dorm room rental at those facilities for about two years, which he had actually changed 8 other private houses to unauthorised dormitory rental between 2016 to 2018. The number of tenants in each unit differed from 7 to 23.
URA laws stipulate that exclusive residential properties can only house approximately 6 unrelated individuals.
“Unauthorised residence hall property not only detrimentally affects the residential personality of the neighbourhood, but also negatively influences the occupants, that might be from more susceptible groups that are prone to profiteering,” claims Martin Tan, director, Development Control Group, URA.
He includes: “URA will remain to use solid enforcement activities facing criminals, involving owner, lessees, agents and anybody found to have flouted URA’s laws on the rental or subletting of exclusive properties”.
URA states that Tan confessed that he recognized the occupancy regulations however opted to wage the unauthorised conversion of the properties anyhow.
Following up on the MOM inspections, that took place in December 2017 and March 2018, URA’s inspections exposed that 15 foreign workers were living in 1012B Upper Serangoon Roadway. Another 16 and 17 international employees were discovered to be staying in 32H Lorong 22 Geylang and 32J Lorong 22 Geylang, specifically.
