Legislating for environmental practices within residential property management in Singapore

Environmental issues have gained increasing attention in Singapore because of its small size and lack of natural resources. Since the 1970s, the Ministry of the Environment has striven to make Singapore environmentally‐friendly. The 2000 Global Competitiveness Report published by the World Economic Forum ranked Singapore second in terms of effective environmental regulations, and third in how stringently those regulations are enforced. Yet, for various reasons Singapore has been described as “environmentally unsustainable”. One solution to this problem may lie within the property management function. The property manager can be a catalyst for change. This paper considers, in the context of residential property, the scope for legislating for environmental practices and infusing them within the property management function. This is considered in the light of existing environmental legislation in Singapore. There is also a brief comparative review of environmental practices in the USA and the UK.