AN URBAN Redevelopment Authority (URA) spokesman said adding partitions inside homes for family use is not illegal but letting out the partitioned units to multiple tenants, so that it becomes a dormitory, hostel or boarding house, is.

'Residences with such unauthorised uses cause disamenity and inconvenience to residents and pose public safety concerns,' said its spokesman. For instance, People's Park Centre resident Don Kok, 30, said some owners partition their kitchens to rent out, blocking off the common rubbish chute.

URA said unauthorised additions and alterations to apartments must be demolished and its use reverted to being a single dwelling.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) also acts against such illegal partitioning.

It issued 527 notices last year and 264 notices between January and April for unauthorised conversions to workers' quarters. Partitioning a dorm could compromise fire safety and it requires SCDF approval.

This article was first published in The Straits Times.