SINGAPORE: A local Reddit user asked if loitering outside someone else’s flat is illegal, claiming that “a stranger lies on an abandoned sofa directly outside my recently purchased hdb unit every night to talk on the phone.”

u/Junn23 added on a post on r/askSingapore on Monday (Mar 27) that his unit is near the landing of the stairs, which means there’s a space that’s big enough for the sofa.

“I’m not living in it yet, but every time I’m there at night, he will be outside. It makes me uncomfortable and I would like to know there is anything I can do about it? Is it his right to loiter outside since the hdb corridor is a public space? I didn’t get the chance talk to him as he is always on the phone. And frankly, I’m too much a wuss to do that too.”

The Reddit user added that he prefers to avoid antagonizing the man because he may be a neighbour.

“We made eye contact a few times and I’m afraid he will guess that I’m the one that got rid of his sofa,” added u/Junn23.

Fellow Reddit users tried to offer helpful advice, such as moving the sofa.

Another suggested that u/Junn23 as the Town Council for help.

Others suggested he file a report on the OneService app.

One commenter suggested he make the sofa “less appealing to sit on…like hide or throw away the cushions or something.”

“I’ve developed some anxiety over going to the house at night,” the post author commented.     

While loitering may not necessarily be illegal in this case, especially if the person is a resident, his presence may be frowned upon by authorities. /TISG

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