Short-Term Accommodation (“STA”) or Short-Term Rental Accommodation (“STRA”) has become a popular option amongst tourists, offering affordably priced accommodation coupled with different choices of lodging. The benefits are also felt by the community, bringing about economic opportunities to the area.
Yet, STA is not without its downside. Public nuisance issues have arisen from the influx of tourists causing noise pollution, traffic congestion and other manners of disturbance. Residents of stratified buildings (i.e., apartments and condominiums) have also raised concerns regarding the adequacy of the safety and protection of their homes. They believe that their safety has been compromised by unregistered guests, giving rise to increased risk of break-ins, theft, drug abuse, sex crimes, illegal gambling, money laundering, vandalism as well as increased risk of COVID-19 transmission amongst the tenants.
To address these problems, the Penang State Government intends to issue guidelines to regulate STA through by-laws set down by the Joint Management Bodies (“JMB”) and Management Corporations (“MC”) of each of the stratified buildings (“Proposed Guidelines”).
Under the Proposed Guidelines, STA will be regulated in the following manner:
