KOTA KINABALU – The Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry office in Sabah (Sabah Motac) has urged the state government to speed up the implementation of laws to regulate Airbnb operators or short-term accommodation rentals here to curb incidents such as the recent spycam case in the future.
Its director Ibrahim Othman said such operations are out of the ministry’s jurisdiction and, therefore, unregulated at present.
He said further incidents like the spycam case will give Malaysia’s tourism industry a bad name.
“At Sabah Motac, we welcome the sentiment expressed by our minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing that the ministry is looking into this matter seriously.
“We are also engaging with police over the case and hope the culprits behind it are brought to justice as soon as possible,” he said in response to the incident where a newlywed couple from China had discovered a hidden camera in their rental here recently.
Ibrahim said his office had also engaged with the state Local Government and Housing Ministry and noted that the ministry was now in the midst of coming out with a law to regulate such facilities.
“At the moment, there is no specific law to regulate this industry. It is not a homestay and neither classified as a conventional rental facility.
“There is no authority to regulate this. Such a facility is also very remote from our jurisdiction,” said Ibrahim, adding that Motac only supervises homestay operators located in the suburban areas.
Motac is the ministry that audits, inspects and certifies homestay operators who are largely in the suburb areas.
Ibrahim said there are no homestay operations located in townships or residential areas.
Under the current Sabah’s local by-laws, a single-unit apartment, condominium, or flat that has been approved for residential use is not allowed for serviced apartment activities or Airbnb or short-stay rental purposes because it does not comply with the requirements of the Fire and Rescue Department, such as the “sprinkler system” requirement.
Developments of this kind also fall under subsidiary or strata titles, and if they are converted into rental units, they would violate the house rules of the building’s management corporation.
Residential units approved as serviced suites, on the other hand, are considered commercial but homeowners can rent out their lodging as long as they comply with building plan approvals or the requirements set for such activities.
Kota Kinabalu police recently confirmed receiving a report from a Chinese couple on September 7 over the discovery of a spycam in their homestay facility and has confiscated the item.
The tourists’ claims were published on Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu on September 14 and according to reports, the couple was deeply unsettled when they stumbled upon a hidden camera cleverly concealed within a wall socket, pointed directly at their bed during their stay at an Airbnb property. – The Vibes, September 27, 2023
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