SINGAPORE: A Singaporean woman who sold short-term stays at three units to guests on Airbnb for almost three years, earning about S$162,000 (US$120,000) in revenue, has been fined more than S$175,000 by a court.
Jayanthi Ponnasamy Manian, 52, pleaded guilty to two charges under the Planning Act for using a dwelling house
If she cannot pay the fine, she will have to serve eight months' jail in default.
According to a judgment made available on Saturday (May 25), Jayanthi used vacation rental platform Airbnb to advertise short-term stays at three units in Kinta Road in Little India.
She owned the three units, which are part of a shopflat development where the ground floor has a shop unit and the other five floors are residential.
Between June 2019 and February 2022, Jayanthi rented out the three units a total of 489 times. She did not seek planning permission from the authorities to use any of her units for short-term accommodation - which refers to a period of less than three consecutive months under the Planning Act.
She would advertise her units on Airbnb, receiving payment from the rentals via her Maybank account.
She communicated with her guests on how to check in or check out. Guests were usually required to collect keys and an access card from respective unlocked letterboxes.
When a guest checked out, they were to place the keys and access card back into the letterboxes, sometimes sending Jayanthi a photo before leaving.
Jayanthi would get her sister to take care of housekeeping matters after guests checked out.
In end-2021, Airbnb informed Jayanthi that it was illegal to provide short-term accommodations in Singapore.
Jayanthi then stopped providing all rental stays.
Prosecutors from the Urban Redevelopment Authority sought a fine of S$212,000 for Jayanthi, while defence lawyers Mr Mohamed Arshad Mohamed Tahir and Mr Patrick Fernandez asked for a fine of S$10,000.
The maximum fine for a first-time offender providing illegal short-term stays is S$200,000.
The defence argued that a sum of about S$304,000 should be deducted as expenses for the three units, including maintenance services, mortgage and interest payments and air-conditioner servicing.
However, the judge allowed only a deduction of about S$32,700 for water, electricity and refuse collection.
She noted that Jayanthi had stopped her activities once Airbnb told her they were illegal in Singapore.
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Jayanthi Ponnasamy Manian, 52, pleaded guilty to two charges under the Planning Act for using a dwelling house
If she cannot pay the fine, she will have to serve eight months' jail in default.
According to a judgment made available on Saturday (May 25), Jayanthi used vacation rental platform Airbnb to advertise short-term stays at three units in Kinta Road in Little India.
She owned the three units, which are part of a shopflat development where the ground floor has a shop unit and the other five floors are residential.
Between June 2019 and February 2022, Jayanthi rented out the three units a total of 489 times. She did not seek planning permission from the authorities to use any of her units for short-term accommodation - which refers to a period of less than three consecutive months under the Planning Act.
She would advertise her units on Airbnb, receiving payment from the rentals via her Maybank account.
She communicated with her guests on how to check in or check out. Guests were usually required to collect keys and an access card from respective unlocked letterboxes.
When a guest checked out, they were to place the keys and access card back into the letterboxes, sometimes sending Jayanthi a photo before leaving.
Jayanthi would get her sister to take care of housekeeping matters after guests checked out.
In end-2021, Airbnb informed Jayanthi that it was illegal to provide short-term accommodations in Singapore.
Jayanthi then stopped providing all rental stays.
Prosecutors from the Urban Redevelopment Authority sought a fine of S$212,000 for Jayanthi, while defence lawyers Mr Mohamed Arshad Mohamed Tahir and Mr Patrick Fernandez asked for a fine of S$10,000.
The maximum fine for a first-time offender providing illegal short-term stays is S$200,000.
The defence argued that a sum of about S$304,000 should be deducted as expenses for the three units, including maintenance services, mortgage and interest payments and air-conditioner servicing.
However, the judge allowed only a deduction of about S$32,700 for water, electricity and refuse collection.
She noted that Jayanthi had stopped her activities once Airbnb told her they were illegal in Singapore.
Continue reading...