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Illegal operation advertised properties for short stays on platforms such as Airbnb & HomeAway

Six Singaporean men have been found guilty of running an illegal operation that rented out Singapore residential properties for short stays.

The properties were advertised online over platforms such as Airbnb and HomeAway, said the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) in a media release on Monday (15 Sept).

Source: Eugenia Clara on Unsplash. Photo for illustration purposes only.

Key player is aged 41, oldest man involved is 81

According to URA, the youngest of the men is 33 while the oldest is 81.

The six were identified as:

Koh Guohui, Robin, 41

Lim En Xiang, Pandy, 33

Chew Lam Yong, 61

Low Ah Tee, 81

Chua Lian Beng, 71

Chow Yan Kit, Ryan, 34

Koh was the “key player behind the operation”. As the sole director of a company registered as SG Auto Car Pte Ltd, he used it to facilitate the illegal activities.

The company was renamed SG Bizloan Consultant in July 2021.

Tenancy agreements signed for 31 private residential units

Koh engaged Lim, Chew, Low, and Chua between July 2019 and November 2021, paying them a monthly salary to take part in the illegal operation.

The four men, together with Chow, took turns to serve as the sole director of one of four companies. They were:

KCA Pte Ltd

Edrich Group Pte Ltd

Ed Werks Holdings Pte Ltd

ANZ Management Services Pte Ltd

As company directors acting on Koh’s instructions, they signed tenancy agreements for private residential units.

There were a total of 31 of these units, which were sourced by Koh.

Source: CHUTTERSNAP on Unsplash. Photo for illustration purposes only.

Koh rented out properties for short stays of under 3 months

Koh subsequently advertised these units on online platforms catering to visitors needing short-term accommodation, including Airbnb and HomeAway.

He sublet them for stays of less than three consecutive months and collected rent.

Under the Planning Act, private residential properties cannot be let out for less than three consecutive months in order to prevent frequent turnover of transient occupants.

To cover his tracks, Koh used multiple bank accounts, and registered phone numbers and host accounts under different names on the online platforms.

Management of 1 of the properties suspected it was being used for short stays

However, the management council of one of the residential developments suspected that one of the units rented by Edrich Group was being used for short stays.

Source: Joyce Romero on Unsplash. Photo for illustration purposes only.

It reported this to the authorities, and URA probed the report by gaining feedback from the residents and managing agents of other developments.

The scale of the illegal operation soon became clear, and the offences came to light.

6 men fined S$1.27 million

The six men were eventually fined a total of S$1.27 million.

Koh, as the mastermind, was found guilty of 31 charges and fined a total of S$1,144,902.10 on Monday.

The five others were sentenced between August 2024 and March 2025, with Lim, Low, Chew, Chow and Chua convicted on seven, 14, eight, four and three charges respectively.

Lim was fined S$24,500 on 27 March, Low fined S$32,500 (18 Dec), Chew fined S$26,800 (11 Nov), Chow fined S$32,000 (24 Oct) and Chua fined S$8,000 (29 Aug).

Also read: Woman in S’pore faces over S$175,000 fine after illegally renting out 3 units on Airbnb

Woman in S’pore faces over S$175,000 fine after illegally renting out 3 units on Airbnb

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