When I visited the Icelandic capital Reykjavik this summer, I did something that would be illegal in Singapore.
Two friends and I rented a room in the heart of the city for a night, choosing and booking our place via the short-term rental site Airbnb.
Our female host, who is a few years older than us, turned out to be warm and hospitable.
She gave us tips on good places to check out. We also had a good, long chat about what it was like to live in Iceland, warts - or in this case, tap water that smelled of rotten eggs due to geothermal activity - and all.
It was one of the best accommodation experiences I have had. But we would have missed out on it entirely had we booked a regular hostel - or had we been visitors to Singapore, where renting out a home for short stays is illegal.
Here, the law does not allow you to rent out your home - whether private or public - if it is for a period of less than six months.
The Housing Board said in June that it had even repossessed the flats of two home owners who had let out their flats to multiple tourists.
I thought of my experience when Senior Minister of State for National Development Lee Yi Shyan acknowledged in Parliament earlier this month the growing popularity of short rentals here.
The HDB investigated 184 cases of short-term leasing in public flats last year, a 73 per cent increase from 106 cases the year before.
In Singapore, businesses like Airbnb, Travelmob and Roomorama have also reported growing interest.
The Government will need to eventually study whether to change home rental rules, said Mr Lee.
I am in favour of allowing short-term rentals for three reasons.
First, for genuine travellers who need a roof over their heads for a short period, staying with a local can give them a more authentic taste of how Singaporeans live. As for Singaporean home owners, they can meet people from around the world.
Such authentic cultural exchanges, unlike the cookie-cutter experience of a hotel, is what many websites say they want to provide. This is a compelling argument, even considering their agenda of growing their business.
Second, the transaction is a win-win for both sides.
Home owners who have extra space can get extra cash from such rentals, if they have the time and energy to put up guests.
Visitors willing to pay the rent and are looking for an alternative to hostels and hotels get just that.
This is an argument made by proponents of the "sharing economy" - that matching spare supply to demand in this way is efficient, and gives individuals more choices.
Third, short-term rentals are still taking place here. So, the Government might as well legalise and regulate them. That protects the consumer and makes oversight easier.
Now, the risk is borne entirely by the consumer. If those who are renting, or landlords, get scammed or robbed, they may not report it because the transaction is illegal.
Regulation also benefits third parties - neighbours of those renting out their places.
Right now, complainants are mainly concerned about their privacy and security because of the transience of guests who use common facilities meant for residents.
To counter this, Singapore can consider limiting the number of rooms that a home owner can rent out at the same time, or the number of bookings made each month.
This could make it much harder for someone to run a cheap commercial hostel with a high turnaround rate under the guise of peer-to-peer home rentals.
The nascent desire for short-term rentals, which fundamentally appeal to many holidaymakers and home owners, is catching on here.
Better to nip problematic areas in the bud by moving to regulate this trend rather than let it grow out of hand.
Maybe then, if my Icelandic host visits Singapore and wants to get a taste of living like a local, she will be legally allowed to do so.
This article was first published on Sep 21, 2014.
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