SINGAPORE: A domestic helper took to social media to ask where she could report an upstairs neighbour who keeps watering plants and sending water cascading onto her laundry.
In a post on the Complaint Singapore (Anonymous) Facebook group on Thursday (Oct 8), she vented her frustration over having to deal with wet clothes whenever her neighbour waters the plants above her.
“Do they not think about the downstairs neighbour who is drying clothes outside?” she asked. “My clothes are almost dry, and suddenly they are wet again. It turns out the upstairs neighbour was watering the plants.”
The helper stressed that this was not some unfortunate one-off incident but a problem that had happened repeatedly.
Fed up with the rinse-and-repeat ordeal, she asked members of the group which authority in Singapore she could lodge a complaint with.
“Who can I report my upstairs neighbour to for watering plants in Singapore?”
‘Inform your employer’
In response, many commenters suggested she first raise the matter with her employer and have them speak to the neighbour upstairs.
“You should talk to your employer about the situation. Suggest to your employer to communicate with the upstairs neighbour,” one user said.
Another person who claimed to have faced a similar situation advised her to record evidence of each episode and file reports through official channels.
“My unit also has the same issue. If your madam and sir are not at home when this happens, put your phone out and take photos and videos upwards. Send it to your mam/sir, and ask them to lodge the case as high-rise littering of water in the One Service app. At the same time, call Town Council. Report it every time it happens. Town Council will approach the people upstairs.”
A third commenter reminded her to stay within her role as an employee and avoid handling the dispute herself.
“Remember you are an employee, and you are in no position to provide or suggest any solution. Do not overstep your boundaries. Inform your employer who will have to talk to the neighbour or escalate further and also advise you of a solution (you may ask them for their advice).”
Others also advised her to consider drying her clothes in a different spot.
One asked her, “Where are you hanging your clothes? If you hang your clothes along the corridor or outside the corridor parapet, you deserve it because you are not supposed to hang your clothes there. Bring them in.”
In other news, a Singaporean who left a stable job for a more interesting role and higher salary has found himself questioning whether the move was worth it after losing one benefit he once took for granted: working from home.
The man said his previous job offered good work-life balance and WFH flexibility, but he decided to leave a few months ago after receiving an opportunity that appeared to offer better career prospects and higher pay.