Hougang resident complains of bugs crawling into flat from insect-infested furniture discarded by neighbour

This Hougang resident has to put up with her neighbour's habit of leaving discarded furniture at the lift lobby for three years.

And this has caused a huge headache for her after hundreds of insects crawled into her flat, she said. 

In an interview with AsiaOne on Monday (March 6), the woman, who wanted to be identified only as Poh, shared that her neighbour living on the same floor left a chest of drawers outside his flat recently.

It was the third time discarded furniture was left at the lift lobby in the past three years, she said, adding that past unwanted items included a sofa and mattress.

Adding that she left a note to remind her neighbour to dispose of the furniture, Poh said: "I asked if he called the town council and he said 'yes', but it's left there for a week."

The eyesore at the lift lobby aside, Poh shared that the biggest bugbear came in the form of booklice and bed bugs from the discarded furniture invading her home. 

"They climbed through the windows along the corridor and infested my dining area before spreading to the entire house", she said

"That was the last straw for me. I called the town council to [remove the furniture].

"The pest control suggested fumigation, but I have two young kids. So I ended up scrubbing and sterilising the walls [of my flat], but not all the bugs were eradicated. I've developed a paranoia of bugs." 

Poh shared that she has complained to the town council whenever it happens, adding that the latter would respond by pasting a poster reminding residents not to dump items at common areas of the flat.

"The town council would take days to remove the furniture… They aren't very helpful," Poh said.

Taking to Facebook last Sunday (March 5), Poh shared her experiences dealing with her neighbour and his discarded furniture.

Several netizens in the comments suggested ways for Poh to resolve this long-standing issue.

According to guidelines from the National Environment Agency (NEA), residents living in HDB flats should contact their town council for more details on the disposal of bulky items.

Those living in private housing should contact the public waste collector (PWC) serving their estate.

Fire safety guidelines also prohibit the storage of combustible materials along common corridors, according to the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).

No objects are to be placed along common corridors less than 1.2m wide, and clothing racks are not allowed unless they can be easily folded or removed in times of emergency so that they do not obstruct the escape route.

Roach infestation at Jalan Besar flat

In another incident of insect infestation at HDB flats, a resident, who lives on the ninth floor of a HDB block at King George's Avenue, complained of hundreds of cockroaches emerging outside her hoarder neighbour's unit. 

Speaking to Shin Min Daily News last March, the 58-year-old resident said that the workers had previously cleared two or three truckloads of items from her neighbour's flat in 2017. 

Another neighbour also shared with the Chinese daily that he cleans the common corridor daily, but the cockroaches still appear. He added that there is always a foul stench emitting from that particular unit. 

Reporters also found out that a female resident who lives next to the elderly man sprayed insecticide on the potted plants outside the unit, only to cause hundreds of cockroaches to crawl out, creating a shocking sight along the corridor. 

ALSO READ: Sengkang HDB resident turns corridor and lift lobby into 'personal warehouse', town council responds

chingshijie@asiaone.com

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