logo
Woman claims she can't sell her Bedok Reservoir HDB flat due to neighbour's clutter

Woman claims she can't sell her Bedok Reservoir HDB flat due to neighbour's clutter

SINGAPORE: Disputes between neighbours are not uncommon in space-scarce Singapore, but usually, these involve noise or other everyday issues. It escalates to another level, however, when one resident is unable to sell their unit allegedly because of their neighbour's behaviour.
This appears to be the problem confronting a woman who lives at Bedok Reservoir View, according to a recent report in Shin Min Daily News. Her neighbour has so much clutter in the common areas that property agents have declined to help sell the woman's flat until the neighbour's stuff is cleared away.
The 50-year-old woman told the Chinese-language daily that she's been living at Bedok Reservoir View with her family since 2009. Her neighbour moved in before she did and was already collecting various items at the time, but back then, these were kept inside his flat.
Recently, however, he began to store items in the hallway, which ended up obstructing the common walkway. Photos posted in Shin Min Daily News show large items, including bicycles and TV or computer monitors.
According to the woman, the man takes home items that people living nearby have discarded and then puts them in the riser or corridor. When she tried to talk him out of this in the past, he grew upset and raised his voice at her.
However, she's not the only person who has attempted to raise the problem with the authorities — other residents have also complained about the clutter. This resulted in warnings being issued to the neighbour, but the woman said he cleared up the clutter after getting the warnings, and then began hoarding again. Additionally, since he thought that it was she who complained, he began to target her and her family.
This is why they decided to move out, but when they contacted a property agent to help sell the flat, the agent said they would not do so until the neighbour's clutter was cleared up, as the mess would discourage those who would otherwise want to buy the unit.
The woman then decided to file an official complaint with the town council, which resulted in the man being told to clear the corridor within a week.
The neighbour's treatment of the woman worsened, however, as he allegedly harassed her in several ways, including recording her unit on his phone. He also wrote these threatening words on the warning posted by the town council: 'I am hunting you.' A photo of this was included in the Shin Min Daily News report.
She also said that he spray-painted offensive words outside her door, which the town council had to paint over. /TISG
Read also: 'It's like their storage unit' — Woman asks what can be done about neighbour who clutters the entrance corridor of their HDB unit
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

German backpacker found alive after 12 days missing in Australian bush
German backpacker found alive after 12 days missing in Australian bush

Straits Times

time19 hours ago

  • Straits Times

German backpacker found alive after 12 days missing in Australian bush

Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Police in Western Australia released images of Carolina Wilga getting petrol for her van before she went missing. SYDNEY - Lost German backpacker Carolina Wilga was found alive but 'ravaged by mosquitoes' on July 11, 12 days after going missing in remote bushland in Western Australia. A member of the public found the 26-year-old on a bush track at the edge of a nature reserve, and she has been taken to hospital in Perth for treatment, police said. 'She's been ravaged by mosquitoes. She's obviously been through an amazing journey, a trauma, and no doubt will be a testimony demonstrating her bravery in the circumstances out there,' WA police inspector Martin Glynn told reporters. 'I think once we do hear her story, it will be a remarkable story.' Television images showed her gingerly climbing the steps into a light turboprop plane to be flown out for medical treatment, wearing a long beige dress and blue cardigan. Ms Wilga had been last seen on June 29 arriving in a Mitsubishi van at a general store in the small agricultural community of Beacon, north-east of Perth. Police found the van on July 10 apparently abandoned after getting stuck in dense bushland north of there, sparking a major land and air search of the area. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore ST will have Govt's 'full confidence and support' in its mission: PM Wong Singapore ST will aim to become an indispensable partner to S'pore's communities: Editor Jaime Ho Singapore Heartbeats & Headlines: ST's 180-year legacy comes to life in immersive exhibition Singapore Trusted news, smarter experience with new Straits Times website and app Singapore Community space Stranger Conversations blossoms as a 'library of human stories' and life experiences Singapore Judge declines to void alleged sham marriage in S'pore, says it is for Parliament to decide Singapore New list of technologies that reduce carbon footprint of buildings to be ready by Q1 2026 Singapore Man who killed 5-year-old daughter gets life sentence after he appeals against 35-year jail term 'She's obviously coped in some amazing conditions. There's a very hostile environment out there, both from flora and fauna. It's a really, really challenging environment to cope in,' Glynn said. No serious injuries 'The weather conditions have been really adverse, with temperatures getting down to zero. Night has been rain. There's been reports of all sorts of challenges in that terrain.' Her van was found with plastic orange traction tracks placed beneath the rear wheels, apparently after getting stuck in the terrain. It was unclear exactly where she was found, or how far she had strayed from the vehicle. 'She would have covered a lot of ground in that time as she tried to make her way out of there,' Insp Glynn said. The backpacker was taken to Beacon 'in quite a fragile condition', then flown to Perth for medical treatment. 'She doesn't appear to have any serious injuries. She obviously has a lot of significant minor injuries,' Insp Glynn said, adding that Wilga would receive medical attention. 'Hopefully, once she recovers, a better assessment can be made.' German backpacker Carolina Wilga was found on a bush track at the edge of a nature reserve by member of the public. PHOTO: AFP Ms Wilga's family has been notified, police said. 'It's a really good outcome,' Insp Glynn told reporters. 'We are constantly involved in these sorts of situations and it's delightful, obviously, when you get an outcome like this. It makes everything, all the effort, worthwhile – absolutely.' Police say she had spent two years backpacking around the country, and was working at mine sites in Western Australia. AFP

Haiti gang violence claims 5,000 lives in less than a year, UN report
Haiti gang violence claims 5,000 lives in less than a year, UN report

Straits Times

time19 hours ago

  • Straits Times

Haiti gang violence claims 5,000 lives in less than a year, UN report

Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox FILE PHOTO: A woman holding a banner that reads in Haitian Creole 'Drones are for the people, not against the people', during a protest against insecurity, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti June 28, 2025. REUTERS/Jean Feguens Regala/File Photo PORT-AU-PRINCE - Almost 5,000 people have been killed in Haiti since October 2024, displacing hundreds of thousands as gang violence has escalated particularly around the capital Port-au-Prince, according to a U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) report published on Friday. WHY IT'S IMPORTANT The surge in violence is deepening Haiti's humanitarian crisis, destabilizing the country and raising concerns of spillover effects in the region. KEY QUOTES "Violence increased sharply in recent months," the OHCHR report said. "Human rights abuses outside Port-au-Prince are intensifying in areas of the country where the presence of the State is extremely limited," U.N. resident and humanitarian coordinator in Haiti Ulrika Richardson said in a press release on the report. "The international community must strengthen its support to the authorities," she added. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore ST will have Govt's 'full confidence and support' in its mission: PM Wong Singapore ST will aim to become an indispensable partner to S'pore's communities: Editor Jaime Ho Singapore Heartbeats & Headlines: ST's 180-year legacy comes to life in immersive exhibition Singapore Trusted news, smarter experience with new Straits Times website and app Singapore Community space Stranger Conversations blossoms as a 'library of human stories' and life experiences Singapore Judge declines to void alleged sham marriage in S'pore, says it is for Parliament to decide Singapore New list of technologies that reduce carbon footprint of buildings to be ready by Q1 2026 Singapore Man who killed 5-year-old daughter gets life sentence after he appeals against 35-year jail term BY THE NUMBERS Between October 2024 and June 2025, 4,864 people have been killed in Haiti amid worsening gang violence nationwide. Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas accounted for more than 1,000 of the deaths. CONTEXT Gangs have increasingly taken control across Haiti, overwhelming local security forces and forcing international aid organizations to scale back operations and forcing tens of thousands of residents from their homes. Hospitals, including the key University Hospital of Mirebalais, have closed due to insecurity, worsening Haiti's fragile health sector. Less than 25% of health facilities around Port-au-Prince remain operational, according to UN estimates. WHAT'S NEXT The UN report warned that the escalating violence in Haiti is threatening to destabilize the country but also other countries in the Caribbean. REUTERS

Minister's death spooks Russian elite amid corruption clampdown
Minister's death spooks Russian elite amid corruption clampdown

Straits Times

time20 hours ago

  • Straits Times

Minister's death spooks Russian elite amid corruption clampdown

Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Russia's former transport minister Roman Starovoyt, who died by suicide, was buried in St Petersburg on July 11. – The reported suicide of Russia's transport minister hours after he was dismissed by President Vladimir Putin, sparking speculation he would be arrested on corruption charges, has shaken the country's elite. Mr Roman Starovoyt was buried in Saint Petersburg on July 11, with his family weeping at his open coffin before it was lowered into the ground. The 53-year-old was found dead in his car on July 7 in an elite Moscow suburb, hours after Mr Putin issued a decree to fire him, with no explanation. Russian investigators say he shot himself. Media reports said he was being investigated for corruption and could have been arrested within days. While government departments sent flowers and some ministers attended a memorial ceremony in Moscow a day earlier, there was unease over the fate of Mr Starovoyt, who climbed the ranks of Russia's bureaucracy to a seat in the Cabinet. 'It's a great loss. Very unexpected,' said Ms Valentina, a 42-year-old translator whose husband worked with Mr Starovoyt. 'He was very active, cheerful and loved life very much. I don't know how it happened.' Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore ST will have Govt's 'full confidence and support' in its mission: PM Wong Singapore ST will aim to become an indispensable partner to S'pore's communities: Editor Jaime Ho Singapore Heartbeats & Headlines: ST's 180-year legacy comes to life in immersive exhibition Singapore Trusted news, smarter experience with new Straits Times website and app Singapore Community space Stranger Conversations blossoms as a 'library of human stories' and life experiences Singapore Judge declines to void alleged sham marriage in S'pore, says it is for Parliament to decide Singapore New list of technologies that reduce carbon footprint of buildings to be ready by Q1 2026 Singapore Man who killed 5-year-old daughter gets life sentence after he appeals against 35-year jail term 'Scapegoat' Mr Starovoyt was governor of Russia's western Kursk region before he was promoted to Moscow, just a few months before Ukrainian troops captured dozens of border settlements in a surprise cross-border incursion. His successor was arrested in the spring for embezzling funds intended to beef up the fortifications that Ukraine ended up slicing through with ease. 'They tried to make him the scapegoat… It's easier to put the blame on a civilian official,' political commentator Andrey Pertsev said. The case is one part of a wider crackdown on officials alleged to have enriched themselves at the expense of the Russian army during the Ukraine offensive. The crackdown is a Kremlin campaign that has ripped up previous norms about what is acceptable for Russian officials. 'There used to be rules, where people knew that, once you climbed up high enough, they wouldn't mess with you,' Mr Pertsev said. 'But they do not work any more.' In a sign of how out of favour Mr Starovoyt had become, Mr Putin has not publicly commented on his death. Asked if Mr Putin would attend the ceremony in Moscow, his spokesman told reporters: 'The President has a different work schedule today.' At the funeral in Saint Petersburg on July 11, two regional governors were the highest ranking officials to show up. 'Holy war' While Mr Putin has criticised corruption and vowed to stamp it out throughout his 25 years in power, his rule has been characterised by systemic graft, critics say. The smattering of high-profile arrests has more typically been used to target opponents or come about as the result of infighting among those lower down Russia's chain of power. But the military offensive against Ukraine has changed that. 'Something within the system has started to work completely differently,' analyst Tatiana Stanovaya wrote after Mr Starovoyt's death. 'Any action or inaction that, in the eyes of the authorities, increases the state's vulnerability to hostile actions by the enemy must be punished mercilessly and uncompromisingly,' she said. In such a climate, it was inevitable that heads would have to roll over the Kursk failings. Professor Nina Khrushcheva, who teaches at The New School, a university in New York City, said Mr Starovoyt's apparent suicide showed the Russian elite was 'scared'. The current climate is such that 'it is impossible to leave the top brass', said Prof Khrushcheva, who is also the great-granddaughter of Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev. 'This is something we have not really seen since 1953,' she said, referring to Joseph Stalin's execution of a close ally. To the Kremlin, the Ukraine military campaign is a 'holy war' that has rewritten the rules of loyalty and service. 'During a holy war, you don't steal… You tighten your belts and work 24 hours a day to make the weapons you need.' That atmosphere, said Ms Stanovaya, has created a 'sense of hopelessness' among officials in Moscow that is unlikely to fade. 'Going forward, the system will be ready to sacrifice increasingly prominent figures,' she warned. AFP

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store