Minimum home rental duration now three months

People looking to rent out their private homes will be able to do so for shorter periods, following a rule change that takes immediate effect.

The minimum duration for staying in a private home has been lowered from six months to three months, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) said yesterday.

Short stays of less than three consecutive months, such as those facilitated through online home-sharing platforms like Airbnb and PandaBed, are still not allowed.

The minimum stay of six months was put in place in 2009.

This requirement was to "ensure that residents are not adversely affected by the frequent turnover of transient occupiers on short-term stays", said URA in 2015, during a public consultation exercise.

The rule change comes amid growing demand from groups seeking accommodation for three to six months, such as academics and students visiting institutions, as well as professionals on work assignments.

URA said the groups had given feedback that they preferred staying in private homes to staying at hotels or service apartments, as the former offer a wider range of locations and unit sizes and cost less. - THE STRAITS TIMES