Sonia Sui neighbour dispute: Property agent reveals history of units and occupants

TAIPEI – The property agent who sold the apartment to Taiwanese model-actress Sonia Sui has waded into her dispute with her neighbours.

Sui and her family have been accused by unnamed residents living below her unit in Taipei of allowing her three young children to make lots of noise by running around and playing in the early morning and late at night, according to a report by Taiwanese magazine Mirror Media last Tuesday.

The actress and her businessman husband Tony Hsieh have three children aged four to seven.

The 42-year-old then took to Facebook to tell her side of the story, denying the allegations and accusing the neighbours of making never ending demands.

According to Mirror Media, the neighbours had taken out a civil suit against the family.

Mr Chen Tai-yuan took to Facebook late last Friday, disclosing that he was the property agent who sold the apartment to Sui. He said that he did not have any contact with the actress after the transaction.

Mr Chen said that he met Sui at least five times before the deal was finalised, adding that she was polite and not arrogant.

The agent, who has been handling the property for six years, also revealed the history of the apartment. According to him, the previous owner, identified as Mr M, bought it in March 2010 and owned it for 11 years until it was sold to Sui in April 2021.

When he and his family moved overseas in 2015, Mr M rented out the house to a Ms Tsai for almost six years until May 2021.

Ms Tsai lived in the unit with her husband, their two young children, a foreign domestic helper and a dog. The family moved out after it was sold to Sui.

The unit downstairs was sold in July 2016, with the current neighbours moving in. Mr Chen said they did not have any complaints about Ms Tsai’s family for about three years until 2020, when her lease was ending.

Ms Tsai hinted to Mr Chen that he should be careful when he sold the unit, as the neighbours downstairs were very sensitive. She urged Mr Chen to remind the incoming owner to add soundproofing elements.

As Mr M had no use for the apartment, said the agent, he sold the apartment to Sui, and at a lower price because of market conditions, not complaints by the neighbours. 

Mr Chen also addressed the neighbours’ complaint about Sui’s children making a ruckus while playing on a slide in the unit. He said the complainants were probably being sensitive since the slide – which was installed by Mr M, not Sui – was on the second floor of the unit.

But he acknowledged the apartment was 30 years old, and soundproofing could have deteriorated.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.