Welcome to Condo Hotel

		Saturday, May 05, 2012 The New Paper
By Joyce Lim They are located in the heart of the city, near great local eating places and popular shopping destinations. They are spacious, give you more value for money and probably offer more privacy than staying in a hotel. They are called condo hotels. And they are rented out by some condominium unit owners, mainly targeting tourists to Singapore, The New Paper found out. A spokesman for the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) had said in an earlier report that leasing of apartments on a short-term basis is not authorised and constitutes a planning offence. This is because doing so would effectively change the use of the residential premises to serviced apartments or a boarding house. Not that it is stopping some property owners, who are openly advertising their properties for this purpose online. A tourist, who wanted to be known only as Daniel, told TNP that he paid less than $1,000 for a four-night stay at The 101 condominium on Beach Road. The Korean-looking man, who declined to say where he is from, said he had learnt of the suites for rent at The 101 from his friend. "For the amount of space and privacy that I got, it was definitely better than staying in a hotel. The suite was cosy with a living room, a pantry and a separate bedroom," said Daniel. RELATED STORIES » 'Rent a room for $60 a night for 2' in HDB Hotel » HDB warns flat owner for tenant's subletting ad » Hotel? No. It's an HDB flat "There was a washing machine and dryer in the suite and free laundry service as well. Every morning, my shirts would be cleaned and pressed and delivered to my suite." The location of The 101, which is next to Liang Seah Street and just a stone's throw away from the Bugis shopping district, was the main draw for Daniel, who claimed that he met tourists from Korea, the US and Europe during his stay at The 101. In 2009, The Straits Times carried a report on how some residents at The 101 complained that the building had turned into a hotel, alleging that a Mr Tan Fung Chuan, who owned several units there, had sub-divided his units and was offering short-term leases on them. A complaint was lodged with the URA, which prompted an investigation by the authority. In response to TNP's queries, a URA spokesman said last night: "In 2009, we carried out investigation arising from press feedback and took enforcement action against the owners. "The owners have put right the layout of the flats as previously approved. We have also reminded the owners that the flats are for residential purpose and are not to be leased on a short-term basis." But TNP found a website at www.servicedaccomodation.com advertising apartments for rent at The 101 and other locations in Tanjong Pagar, Raffles Place, Nicoll Highway, River Valley, Farrer Park and Marina Bay. Photos of the furnished apartments and Mr Tan's name and contact details are also found on the website. But information on the daily rates and minimum length of stay were unavailable online. A search on Lawnet revealed that Beach City Serviced Residences, which was named on the website, was registered in 2007 with Mr Tan Fung Chuan as one of its shareholders. Other companies Mr Tan also registered three other companies - Beach City Serviced Suites, Beach City International and Beach City Serviced Accommodation - between 2007 and last year. These company names, along with the website, were printed on receipts issued out to its guests. TNP spoke to a reader who claimed that she was offered a one-bedroom apartment in Valley Park condominium for $250 a night and a similar apartment at City Square Residences for $380 a night. When the reader asked to rent a unit at The 101, she was told that it was fully booked as the location is popular with tourists. She was then offered a two-bedroom apartment at The Sail at Marina Bay for $400 a night, allegedly through her e-mail correspondence with Mr Tan. "He wrote in the e-mail that the property comes with full condo facilities and also with spectacular Marina Bay view," claimed the reader. When contacted, Mr Tan denied leasing any apartments. He said he has no knowledge of the website, even though it was listed on the receipts issued out by his registered companies. "What website? I don't have a website. We don't do leasing," Mr Tan told TNP over the phone last night. But when TNP informed him that we had obtained his name and contact details from the site, Mr Tan replied: "The website is obsolete. We have already given instructions for it to be removed." When asked about the short-term leases of his condominium units, Mr Tan said: "They are all long-term tenants. They stay for a year. You buy property for what? To keep them empty?" He ended the call abruptly, saying that he had to attend to other matters. An hour later, TNP found that the website had been deleted. This article was first published in The New Paper.