Non-Singaporean and Non-PR Customers in Arrears in Utility Bills Exceeding Security Deposit Amount

9 Mr Leong Mun Wai asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) what percentage of (i) non-Singaporean and (ii) non-permanent resident customers have arrears in their utility bills that are larger than their security deposit amount; (b) what measures are taken to recover these arrears; and (c) whether there is any need to increase the security deposit amount for such customers.

Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien: As at 31 December 2023, 2,800¹ or 1.6% of non-resident households had utility bills in arrears of six months or more that were in excess of their security deposit.

Measures taken to recover utility bills arrears include sending SMS reminders, issuing formal notices, imposing late payment charges and disconnecting and restricting services where significant arrears have been accumulated.

The security deposit for non-resident households is generally twice that of resident households and are periodically reviewed by utility service providers, the Public Utilities Board and Energy Market Authority, to mitigate the risk of unrecovered arrears.