1 in 4 rental listings in Singapore tagged as diversity-friendly through PropertyGuru's ‘Everyone Welcome' feature
Photo: PropertyGuru
SINGAPORE: One in four rental listings in Singapore has been tagged 'diversity-friendly' through PropertyGuru's 'Everyone Welcome' feature, according to its press release on Wednesday (May 21).
While Singapore embraces multiculturalism, one in four individuals in the city-state has faced racial bias when searching for a rental property. The feature, aimed at inclusivity, was introduced in December last year to help renters find homes where landlords welcome tenants of all races, religions, genders, and sexual orientations, while also encouraging agents and landlords to embrace diversity and inclusive practices.
This is part of the property technology company's broader effort to create a fairer property market. The group also enforces comprehensive listing creation guidelines, uses a language moderation tool to detect discriminatory content, and allows property seekers to report discrimination.
The 'Everyone Welcome' feature was also recently launched in Malaysia's marketplace.
As part of the group's Sustainability Report 2024, it highlighted its continued adoption of the eco-conscious tool 'Green Score.' PropertyGuru launched the eco-conscious tool in 2021 to help property seekers in the city-state find eco-friendly homes. Since its launch, it has become a trusted indicator among 63% of eco-conscious property seekers.
According to the group's survey last year, 72% of Singapore consumers have become interested in sustainable homes, while 68% were willing to pay more for sustainable and eco-friendly features.
Building on this, the group recently launched a 'Sustainable Living' feature in its Thailand property market platform, DDproperty, to highlight homes with green features such as solar panels and electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. Notably, 90% of Thai property seekers are interested in sustainable homes, while 93% are willing to pay a premium.
Cécile Corda, PropertyGuru's Head of Sustainability, said, 'The demand for sustainable and inclusive housing is growing, and at PropertyGuru, we're responding with actionable solutions. By equipping property seekers and real estate stakeholders with the tools to make informed, sustainable choices, we're helping to build cities that are not only resilient but grounded in principles of inclusivity, driving meaningful change in the housing market.' /TISG
Read also: PropertyGuru cuts 174 jobs and shuts down 3 business units ahead of March leadership change
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNA
an hour ago
- CNA
There's more to Chengdu than just pandas: How to have a chic getaway in this Sichuan city
At first glance, Chengdu seems to run entirely on the panda economy and to some extent, it does. As the capital of Sichuan province and home to major panda conservation and research centres, the city has fully embraced its status as the spiritual home of China's most beloved furball. No wonder the city is overflowing with panda-themed everything. From panda-shaped ice cream to black-and-white bubble tea, exclusive merch (even from collectible chain Pop Mart) and plushies galore. It is cute, kitsch and completely unavoidable. But Chengdu has also been quietly upping its style game. In recent years, luxury fashion houses like Bottega Veneta, Loewe and Dior have launched striking flagships and exclusive concepts. Louis Vuitton, for example, opened its third China Maison here, featuring The Hall – its first restaurant in China – inside the century-old Guangdong Hall. This understated cool is embodied by locals: designer handbags slung over relaxed silhouettes, vintage touches and sneakers with attitude. No wonder coveted French label and champion of quiet luxury Lemaire recently opened its inaugural store in China at the unique Taikoo Li development, which features the adaptive reuse of Qing dynasty courtyard houses and traditional architecture for luxury retail and F&B concepts. To immerse in this heritage-meets-contemporary vibe, check into The Temple House, arguably the most distinctive of Swire Hotels' three House Collective properties, alongside hotels in Hong Kong and Shanghai. Designed by architectural firm Make Architects and adjacent to Taikoo Li, Temple House, which features 100 hotel rooms and 42 serviced apartments, is part of the city government's conservation project to preserve the heritage buildings in the vicinity. Named after the 1,600-year-old Daci Temple on whose grounds it now stands, the hotel draws on a rich past. This storied sanctuary has welcomed emperors, poets and seekers of wisdom including the monk Xuanzang, whose epic pilgrimage inspired Journey to the West. Today, the main temple complex still stands in the middle of Taikoo Li, offering an interesting counterpoint to the sleek storefronts and buzzy eateries surrounding it. This essence of cultural depth is echoed in The Temple House, which thoughtfully incorporates its reverence for history with a modern, minimalist sensibility. The entrance is set in a painstakingly restored hundred-year-old Qing Dynasty Chinese courtyard building, once home to scholars who had travelled to study in Chengdu. It is a humble, historic entryway that sets the tone for the hotel's quietly memorable hospitality. Checking into my chic Deluxe Temple Suite, a blend of dark timber accents and sunlit tones of white and oak, I am welcomed with playful local touches – a dessert platter styled like hotpot, freshly brewed tea and a cuddly panda plushie for company. If Taikoo Li is where Chengdu shows off its polished, Prada-wearing side, then Dong Jiao Memory Cultural and Creative Park is its artsy counterpart who listens to vinyl and thrift shops for upcycled secondhand finds. Just two metro stops or a 15 minute drive from The Temple House, this former factory site has been transformed into a sprawling creative park, while still preserving its industrial facade. Sprawling factories have been transformed into indie retail outlets, cool cafes like popular chain Manner and bubble tea joints abound and there are art installations, galleries and live music gigs to uncover. This is also where the Xiaohongshu-famous brick wall bearing the Chinese characters Chengdu is located. Get in line to snap a selfie but know everyone takes their sweet time perfecting their shot. Of course, no trip to Chengdu is complete without feasting on its signature culinary highlights, chief among them, the obligatory communal, tongue-numbing Sichuan hotpot. For an over-the-top experience, head to The Way of the Dragon, a theatrical hotpot restaurant tucked along Kuan Zhai Alley, one of the city's best-preserved historic streets, now buzzing with shops, street snacks and teahouses. It's a full-blown spectacle, with servers presenting platters of meats, mushrooms and offal (if you dare) on dragon- or boat-shaped vessels. There is also a nightly show with classic Sichuan acts including musical recitals, kung fu demonstrations and the crowd-pleasing bian lian (face changing) opera performance. After all that spice and spectacle, Chengdu's teahouse culture, popular among locals as a place for relaxation and socialising, is a welcome palate cleanser. The Temple House's Mi Xun Teahouse – also where the hotel's excellent spa is located – is situated within a standalone courtyard building next to the hotel and elevates this concept to an artform. The Michelin Green Star teahouse offers a refined vegan menu inspired by the healthful dishes once served at Daci Temple with delicious meatless versions of Sichuan specialties such as dan dan mian noodles and mapo tofu. Both were layered with such bold, satisfying flavours that not a single soul at the table missed the meat. The menu also celebrates the seasons with elegant, farm-to-table dishes crafted from locally sourced produce, offering a lighter perspective to Sichuanese cuisine. Naturally, there is a broad selection of tea varieties to pair with the food. Alternatively, head sommelier Cederic Yao will happily share his recommendations for highly rated and rare Chinese wines. Tip: When the weather is good, ask for a table in the red lantern-lit courtyard for an atmospheric meal. The Temple House is also home to Tivano, a Michelin-listed Italian spot led by chef Riccardo Baronchelli (ex-Mandarin Oriental Singapore), known for its open kitchen, wood-fired pizzas and handmade pastas. Afterwards, head to cocktail bar Jing, where Boston Baijiu Bar alum Nick Lappen serves globally inspired drinks in a sultry, low-lit setting. Just beyond the hotel, alleys brim with eateries, including stalls selling the classic Chengdu snack of stewed rabbit heads. Locals swear by them but I chickened out. I had better luck at the one Michelin-starred Ma's Kitchen, a Chengdu institution that began as a humble eatery in 1923. It is famed for elevated versions of comfort dishes like kung pao prawns with eggplant, twice-cooked pork and cold chicken in green Sichuan pepper and every bite was wiped clean. Pro tip: they do not take reservations, so go early or expect a queue. For those who are game for a day trip that is off the well-trodden panda path, visit the Sanxingdui Museum, about an hour's drive away. This fascinating museum houses one of China's most intriguing archaeological finds - the remains of a mysterious Bronze Age civilisation that thrived over 3,000 years ago and then disappeared without a trace or any form of writing. A new extension by Chinese architecture firm CSWADI opened in 2023, more than doubling the exhibition space and bringing renewed attention to Sanxingdui's mind-boggling discoveries. There are a staggering array of artefacts including delicate gold sceptres, an intricate bronze tree of life, and countless ceremonial masks with wide, staring eyes and razor-sharp geometric features. These objects are so otherworldly they have sparked countless theories of time travel, alien contact or lost advanced civilisations. I was mesmerised by how strangely modern many of them appear. A stone stele had engravings that looked like they were made by laser and the masks looked like they belonged in a superhero movie. The piercing gazes of the bronze masks lingered in my mind long after I left the museum.
CNA
4 hours ago
- CNA
Japan, US to 'accelerate' trade talks after Trump-Ishiba call
TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and US President Donald Trump agreed on Friday (Jun 13) to speed up discussions on a bilateral trade deal, amid heightened global economic uncertainty and geopolitical tensions. The two leaders held a phone call ahead of their planned meeting on the sidelines of the Group of Seven (G7) summit, set to begin Sunday in Canada. 'We agreed to accelerate discussions toward realising an agreement that would be beneficial to both Japan and the US,' Ishiba told reporters after the call, which was initiated by Tokyo. TRADE TENSIONS AND TARIFFS Japan, a key US ally and its largest investor, has been subject to a baseline 10 per cent tariff imposed by Trump on most trading partners, as well as steeper levies on autos, steel and aluminium. In April, Trump announced an additional 24 per cent "reciprocal" tariff on Japanese imports but paused enforcement until July. Despite five rounds of talks, both sides remain far apart. Japan insists that all Trump-announced tariffs must be lifted for any agreement to proceed. 'Our position remains unchanged,' Ishiba said. Tokyo's trade envoy Ryosei Akazawa had earlier told reporters in Washington that 'some progress' had been made but that 'we've not been able to find a point of agreement yet.' G7 SUMMIT AND MIDDLE EAST TENSIONS Ishiba said the upcoming G7 summit would be a chance to deepen dialogue on the bilateral relationship. The leaders also discussed Israel's military strikes on Iran, and according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry, reaffirmed that 'peace and stability in the Middle East is extremely important.'
CNA
6 hours ago
- CNA
Japan issues rare warnings on bond market in policy roadmap
TOKYO :Japan's government issued rare warnings on rising government bond yields and the changing structure of debt ownership in its economic policy roadmap as the central bank gradually trims its presence in the market. "We must continue efforts to further promote domestic ownership of government bonds to avoid spikes in long-term interest rates caused by supply-demand imbalances," the government said in this year's economic and fiscal policy guidelines approved on Friday. The explicit warning in the guidelines, which form the basis for budget planning, follows a recent bond market rout that briefly pushed yields on super-long Japanese government bonds (JGB) to record highs. The government debt market, particularly the longest-dated bonds, faces a triple whammy of the Bank of Japan's tapering of bond purchases, waning demand from life insurers previously driven by capital requirements and intensifying concerns over Japan's tattered finances. The BOJ, which owns 46 per cent of JGBs, has been slowing bond purchases as it exits a huge asset-buying scheme. The central bank is expected to make no big changes to the current bond taper plan at its policy meeting next week but consider slowing the pace of tapering from next fiscal year, signaling a preference to avoid big market disruptions, sources told Reuters. That raises the importance of domestic private-sector banks, previously the biggest JGB owners, though capital rules are likely to limit their exposure to rate risks. Foreign investors have boosted their presence in the market over the last decade, but their holding duration is typically less than those of life insurers, Koichi Sugisaki, macro strategist Morgan Stanley MUFG Securities, said. "A situation where these buy-and-sell investors are holding large interest rate risks is inherently unstable, if not outright dangerous," Sugisaki said. "It's like having 'magma' ready to erupt at any moment, should something trigger it." Banks owned 14.5 per cent of JGBs including treasury discount bills as of the end of last year, while insurance firms held 15.6 per cent. Foreign ownership stood at 11.9 per cent. Eager to boost purchases by stable domestic holders such as banks, the government is preparing to introduce new floating-rate bonds linked to short-term interest rates to mitigate risks from rising bond yields. It also plans to expand the scope of investors eligible to buy government bonds specifically designed for retail investors, allowing non-profit corporations and unlisted companies to buy such principal-guaranteed JGBs. Additionally, the government is considering buying back some super-long JGBs issued in the past at low interest rates to improve the supply-demand balance, on top of an expected plan to trim issuance of super-long bonds. Growing calls from lawmakers for more stimulus and tax breaks are adding to the bond market woes. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has so far resisted proposals from some opposition parties for tax breaks aimed at helping households cope with persistent inflation. He instead instructed his Liberal Democratic Party on Friday to pledge cash handouts in its campaign for an upper house election in July, which would create less fiscal strain. The plan would not tap fresh deficit-financing bonds, he added. In the annual policy guidelines, the government effectively pushed back the self-imposed deadline for delivering a primary budget surplus from the previous target of fiscal 2025 to "as early as possible during fiscal years 2025 to 2026." ($1 = 143.9800 yen)
