PETALING JAYA: Penang state government’s move to ban short-term rentals or homestays in high-rise units is unfair to those who have invested in them, local homestay groups said.
According to a report by The Malaysian Insight, such a move also could also backfire on the state’s tourism and real estate sector.
Malaysia Homestay Operators’ Association (MHOA) Penang branch president Lydia Tan said people who have invested in these units to rent on platforms such as AirBnB will lose their return on investment as a result.
She said homestays have also helped Penang’s economy by providing accommodation to visitors because many hotels closed when Malaysia locked down its borders in 2020 and have not reopened.
She added that homestays also give families or large groups alternatives to hotel rooms.
Meanwhile, MHOA vice-president Elvin Wong, said he had “unofficial” figures that showed that visitors outnumbered available hotel rooms, adding that not all travellers can necessarily afford, or even want, a stay in a hotel.
On April 28 state housing committee chairman Jagdeep Singh Deo said that the Penang state executive council has agreed to not allow “check-ins” at landed and high-rise buildings for short-term rental homes or homestays.
He, however, added that no date on the ban has been decided yet so far and has stressed that the state government will be firm on the ruling.
