Neighbours’ homes damaged after couple forgets to switch off aircon before going overseas
A couple living on the 12th floor of Block 102A Punggol Field allegedly forgot to switch off their aircon before going overseas, causing water to seep into multiple neighbouring flats and damaging floors, ceilings, and walls.
One of their neighbours, Mr Zhang, told Shin Min Daily News that he saw the upstairs resident knocking on the couple’s door last Friday (18 April) after discovering water droplets forming on his own floor.
Curious, Mr Zhang checked his door camera footage and found that the couple had left home in the early hours of 15 April with four suitcases in tow, leading him to believe they had gone abroad for a holiday.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
Walls damaged in next-door neighbour’s unit
Fearing his own flat had been affected, Mr Zhang inspected the guest room that shares a wall with the couple’s unit.
After shifting a cupboard, he was shocked to find the entire wall covered in water droplets.
Parts of the wall had already grown mouldy from the moisture, and the paint was starting to bubble and peel.
“My wife and I spent the entire day moving furniture out of the room — some pieces even had to go into the living room to prevent further damage,” he said.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
Mr Zhang now wipes the walls twice a day and remains worried about worsening damage to both the walls and floors.
He’s especially concerned that the damp could reach the power sockets and cause a short circuit.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
Additionally, he revealed that the neighbour living directly below the couple’s unit also reported water dripping from their ceiling.
Upstairs neighbour’s floor constantly soaked
Meanwhile, Mrs Qiu, who lives upstairs, said their domestic helper first noticed the room felt unusually cold and the floor was damp last Thursday (17 April).
At first, she didn’t think much of it — until the helper had to start mopping constantly, as water kept pooling on the floor.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
After inspecting the situation, her husband, who works in aircon servicing, suspected the issue was caused by an air-conditioner running non-stop in the unit below.
He tried knocking on the couple’s door, but no one answered.
“Our wardrobe’s been damaged by the moisture, and the helper now has to mop the floor every half an hour,” Mr Qiu said.
He added that while cutting off the couple’s power supply might stop things from getting worse, doing so would be illegal.
“If this keeps up, even the tiles might start coming loose,” he warned.
Neighbours plan to seek compensation from couple
Mrs Qiu also noted that the couple had left their living room window open before going overseas.
Since there’s usually a power socket near that spot, she’s worried that rainwater might get in and cause a short circuit, potentially leading to a fire.
“Most people would double-check everything before travelling — water, electricity, doors, windows, unplugging appliances,” she said. “But because of one person’s carelessness, the rest of us are suffering.”
The affected neighbours now plan to hold the couple accountable and discuss compensation, but with no idea when they’ll return, they’ve been left in limbo.
According to Mr Zhang, the couple only moved in during Chinese New Year.
“We’re not familiar with them, and we don’t have any way to contact them,” he said.
Their moment of negligence has now impacted three households.
He added: “I can’t say for sure if the mould on my wall was directly caused by them, but the room is extremely damp — and that wall was only painted five years ago.”
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Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News and Shin Min Daily News.
