16.—(1) The Postal Authority may, from time to time, do all or any of the following:| (a) | issue or approve the specifications relating to the number, place, dimensions and other characteristics of letter boxes; | | (b) | approve the installation and use of such other mail delivery systems or arrangements; | | (c) | amend or revoke any specifications issued or approved under paragraph (a) or any approval under paragraph (b). |
(2) Where any specifications are issued or approved, or amended or revoked by the Postal Authority under subsection (1), the Postal Authority shall —| (a) | publish a notice of the issue, approval, amendment or revocation, as the case may be, of the specifications in such manner as will secure adequate publicity for such issue, approval, amendment or revocation; | | (b) | specify in the notice referred to in paragraph (a) the date of issue, approval, amendment or revocation, as the case may be; and | | (c) | ensure that, so long as the specifications remain in force, the specifications, and all amendments to those specifications, are available for inspection by members of the public. |
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(3) A developer of any residential building or commercial or industrial building shall —| (a) | provide one letter box for each lot within any residential building or commercial or industrial building; [Act 10 of 2021 wef 14/05/2021] | | (b) | ensure that the letter boxes provided under paragraph (a) are numbered in numerical sequence; and | | (c) | comply with all specifications issued, approved or amended by the Postal Authority under subsection (1). |
[Act 10 of 2021 wef 14/05/2021] |
| (4) Any developer who contravenes subsection (3) shall be guilty of an offence. |
(4A) Where letter boxes are provided under subsection (3) for a residential building, or a commercial or industrial building, that is a subdivided building, the applicable person for the building must —| (a) | ensure that one letter box (whether provided under subsection (3) or under this subsection) continues to be provided for each lot within the building; | | (b) | where any lot within the building is further subdivided into 2 or more lots, provide one letter box for each new lot; | | (c) | ensure that the letter boxes —| (i) | are numbered, or continue to be numbered, in numerical sequence; and | | (ii) | are at all times kept in a state of good and serviceable repair; |
| | (d) | repair or replace without unreasonable delay any letter box which is damaged or otherwise unusable; and | | (e) | comply with all specifications issued, approved or amended by the Postal Authority under subsection (1). |
[Act 10 of 2021 wef 14/05/2021] |
(4B) The applicable person for a building mentioned in subsection (4A) may recover the costs reasonably incurred for providing a letter box for a new lot within the building under subsection (4A)(b) from the subsidiary proprietor of the new lot or the person who is registered under the Land Titles Act as the proprietor of the fee simple, estate in perpetuity or leasehold estate of the new lot if —| (a) | the building is premises comprised in a strata title plan under the Land Titles (Strata) Act; and | | (b) | the letter box provided is not common property or limited common property of the building. |
[Act 10 of 2021 wef 14/05/2021] |
(4C) In the case of a residential building, or a commercial or industrial building, that is not a subdivided building, the person who is registered under the Land Titles Act as the proprietor of the fee simple, estate in perpetuity or leasehold estate of the building must —| (a) | ensure that the letter box provided for the building under subsection (3) is at all times kept in a state of good and serviceable repair; | | (b) | where the letter box is damaged or otherwise unusable, repair or replace the letter box without unreasonable delay; and | | (c) | comply with all specifications issued, approved or amended by the Postal Authority under subsection (1). |
[Act 10 of 2021 wef 14/05/2021] |
| (4D) A person who contravenes subsection (4A) or (4C) shall be guilty of an offence. [Act 10 of 2021 wef 14/05/2021] |
(5) It shall be the duty of —| (a) | the owner of any common property or limited common property, as the case may be, on which a letter box is situated, being a letter box which is provided for persons occupying the building or part thereof; and | | (b) | the owner of a building where a letter box is provided for the owner or occupier of the building, |
| to keep at all times the lawful access to the letter box clear from any obstruction by any vehicle, debris, box or object or any other thing which would prevent or impede the delivery of postal articles to that letter box by a postal licensee. |
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| (6) Where, in the opinion of the Postal Authority, the lawful access to any letter box referred to in subsection (5) is not clear from such obstructions mentioned in that subsection, the Postal Authority may, by notice in writing, require the owner of the common property or limited common property, or the owner or occupier of the building referred to in subsection (5)(b), as the case may be, to undertake, within such time as may be specified in that notice, such work or such rectification steps to ensure that subsection (5) is complied with. |
| (7) If any person on whom a notice under subsection (6) is served fails, without reasonable excuse, to comply with the requirements of that notice, that person shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $5,000 and, in the case of a continuing offence, to a further fine not exceeding $25 for every day or part thereof during which the offence continues after conviction. |
| (8) For the avoidance of doubt, subsections (5), (6) and (7) shall not apply with respect to any sealing or locking of the aperture of a letter box by the person for whom the letter box is provided, or any closure or locking of any normal access to the letter box by or under lawful authority. |
(9) In this section —“applicable person”, for a residential building, or a commercial or industrial building, means —| (a) | in relation to a building that is premises comprised in a strata title plan under the Land Titles (Strata) Act —| (i) | where the letter boxes are common property of the building — the management corporation having control of that common property; | | (ii) | where the letter boxes are limited common property of the building — the subsidiary management corporation established by the Building Maintenance and Strata Management Act having control of that limited common property; or | | (iii) | where the letter boxes are not common property or limited common property of the building — the management corporation having control of the common property of the building; |
| | (b) | in relation to a building in a housing estate of the Housing and Development Board (called an HDB housing estate) —| (i) | where the building’s common property is in an HDB housing estate that is controlled, managed and maintained by a Town Council — that Town Council; or | | (ii) | where the building’s common property is in an HDB housing estate that is not controlled, managed and maintained by a Town Council — the Housing and Development Board; or |
| | (c) | in relation to a building that is a subdivided building other than a subdivided building mentioned in paragraph (a) or (b), every person who is registered under the Land Titles Act as the proprietor of the fee simple, estate in perpetuity or leasehold estate of a lot in that building; |
[Act 10 of 2021 wef 14/05/2021] |
| “commercial or industrial building” includes any shopping complex; |
| [Deleted by Act 10 of 2021 wef 14/05/2021] |
“lot” means any stratum that satisfies all of the following requirements:| (a) | the stratum —| (i) | is within a parcel of any land, building and common property comprised or to be comprised in a strata title plan and is shown as a lot on the strata title plan, including a lot specified as an accessory lot on any such plan; or | | (ii) | is within any land or building not comprised or not to be comprised in a strata title plan; |
| | (b) | the stratum is used or intended to be used as a complete and separate unit for the purpose of habitation or business or for any other purpose; | | (c) | a number has been allotted to the stratum by the Comptroller of Property Tax under section 51(1) of the Property Tax Act; |
[Act 10 of 2021 wef 14/05/2021] |
| “owner” and “stratum” have the meanings given by section 2(1) of the Building Maintenance and Strata Management Act; [Act 10 of 2021 wef 14/05/2021] |
| “subdivided building” has the meaning given by section 3(1) of the Land Titles (Strata) Act. [Act 10 of 2021 wef 14/05/2021] |
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