‘It’s like their storage unit’ — Woman asks what can be done about neighbour who clutters the entrance corridor of their HDB unit

SINGAPORE: Fed up with her neighbour’s clutter, a woman took to social media to ask how she can deal with the problem, adding that she’s also concerned with making sure that her family stays safe, especially in an emergency.

“How to handle this kind of neighbour?” asked 岑燕飛 in a May 28 (Wednesday) post on the 岑燕飛 Complaint Singapore Facebook page.

She added that the neighbors clutter their entrance corridor to the point of making it difficult to go in and out every day. The post author also claimed that the neighbour stores items inside their electric meter drawer, which could be dangerous.

Moreover, she added that there are slippers and dirty socks “spreading everywhere.”

She also featured photos of the clutter on her TikTok account.

岑燕飛 explained in her post that before she and her family moved in, the neighbours used the corridor as their “private storage room” and when they first saw it they were shocked. At the time, however, the neighbour promised to clean up everything before 岑燕飛 and her family moved in, but instead of doing so, they simply made excuses, and only half of the clutter was cleared up.

Three weeks after they had gotten the key to the unit from HDB, the neighbour’s clutter was still there.

“We can’t keep waiting for them… as we also need a place to stay,” she wrote, adding that she and her family had thought the neighbours would clear the rest of their items out once they moved in, as “normal people will do if they know how to respect their neighbours.”

And while 岑燕飛’s husband tried to communicate with the neighbour’s son to ask them to clear their clutter, even more stuff accumulated, including a washing machine.

As for the post author, she only keeps a broom outside her main door. However, her neighbour moved the broom to make way for their own items, doing so in such a noisy manner late at night.

The post author wondered what would happen if an accident should occur, how she, her husband, and their three young children would be able to get out quickly.

The Independent Singapore reached out to 岑燕飛, who told us that she has since heard from the Town Council and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF). An officer from the Town Council is scheduled to come over on Thursday (May 29) to hand over a notice to the neighbour informing them they need to remove the items within seven days.

“Every day, I must face this kind of neighbor. It is really very stressful as I have kids around me. I just worry that if any accident happens, I won’t even be able to escape, nor save my kids.”

She added that she had thought many times before reporting her neighbours, out of respect and the desire to maintain good relationships with them.

However, due to their actions, she told TISG, “I have no choice.” /TISG

Read also: Elderly karung guni clutters corridor in Potong Pasir HDB but neighbour worries about fire hazards —who should give way?