AMK residents forced to use stairs thanks to persistent lift urination issue that remains unresolved despite complaints

SINGAPORE: A foul-smelling and persistent issue at Block 223 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1 has left residents frustrated and some choosing to avoid the lift altogether. Residents say the lift at Block C has frequently reeked of urine and that the issue remains unresolved despite multiple complaints.

Mike, a resident who moved into the block in January last year, told Channel 8 that he often encounters urine stains in the lift, and the stench has become part of daily life for those living in the block.

“It’s very uncomfortable,” he said, “I’ve been reporting this through the OneService app since August last year. I even contacted the town council via Facebook, but the problem still hasn’t been solved.”

According to Mike, while cleaners do remove the mess when reported, the urination continues to recur. “The town council said it would investigate, but it has not solved the problem yet. After the cleaners cleaned it up, the problem continued to happen. I think it is only treating the symptoms and not the root cause,” he said.

Mike shared that some residents have resorted to using the stairs whenever they spot urine in the lift, “Residents here say they’ve complained many times, but nothing has happened. Everyone is very angry. If I see urine, I won’t take it because it smells bad and is unhygienic.”

He also believes the culprit is likely an adult, “There are residents here who have pets. We all know each other. Everyone brings their pets downstairs to relieve themselves, and every time there is a large pool of urine, which doesn’t look like it belongs to pets or children.”

Other residents backed up Mike’s concerns, with some recalling seeing what they believed to be urine stains regularly in the elevator — and in at least one past instance, even faeces.

When a Channel 8 reporter visited the block on Tuesday (Jul 15), there were visible water-like stains in the lift. A sign inside urged people not to urinate in public areas.

Mr Deng, 58, a long-time resident who has lived there for 13 years, told the reporter that he had raised the same issue two years ago through the OneService platform. According to him, the town council made an effort to identify the culprit, but he never heard any updates after that.

“Urine stains can appear at any time, and the cleaners are slow to respond. Sometimes they’re still there after hours,” he said, “Some kind neighbours will lay newspaper down to cover it, but that just makes the area dirtier in my opinion.”

Mr Deng added that the problem poses a serious risk to elderly residents, “This puddle of water is unsafe for residents. It makes the floor slippery; you have to walk sideways and stuff like that. Some of the elderly here are in wheelchairs or on crutches. The urine contaminates their wheelchairs and crutches, and they bring it home. It’s unhygienic.”

Another resident, who declined to be named, expressed similar concerns, especially for young children. He told the Channel 8 reporter, “I have kids at home and sometimes push them in a stroller. When I see water stains in the lift, I would rather walk further to use another one so my child doesn’t step in it or dirty the stroller.”

Several residents said they suspect the same individual is responsible, and pointed to the same unit in the block. However, when the reporter visited the unit, no one was home.