Sabah govt looking at existing laws to see how to regulate Airbnb operations

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah is looking at current laws to see how to regulate operations of Airbnb in the state, says Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Dr Joachim Gunsalam.

He said that there should be regulations or minimum standards for Airbnb operators to follow to prevent any incidents relating to customers.

“We are looking at the ordinances and seeing where we can regulate it. It could possibly be to make it illegal for Airbnb to operate in a condominium or a private housing area. They have to be a business entity,” he said.

Dr Gunsalam said this when asked about the case where a couple from China renting an Airbnb in the city found a hidden camera in their room during their honeymoon here.

“As part of the government, I am very concerned about this happening. To me it is all about regulation of the AirBnB and there are some minimum standards (to adhere to),” said Dr Gunsalam.

He added that he personally feels that Airbnb operators should only rent out their premises to close friends or people they know.

Asked if the issuance of an Airbnb permit is under the jurisdiction of the Sabah Local Government and Housing ministry which he holds, he said “no”.

Dr Gunsalam urged visitors to Sabah to book properly-licensed accommodations and advised operators to conduct their businesses professionally.

On the hidden camera, the Airbnb safety team has removed the host account of a homestay in Sabah pending an investigation into an allegation that a hidden camera was installed inside a wall socket at the lodging.

Airbnb’s India, South-East Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan general manager Amanpreet Bajaj said in an email that Airbnb banned hidden cameras and was disappointed to hear of such incidents.

He was quoted as saying while safety incidents were rare on Airbnb, they took reports such as these seriously, and they have been providing support to their guests.

On Sunday (Sept 24), Bernama reported that the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry viewed the claim made by a foreign couple seriously.

Its minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing said the Sabah government, the state Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry and related agencies have been asked to take stern action against the allegation which was revealed on Shanghai-based social media platform Xiaohongshu on Sept 14 and later shared by local news portals.