Bedok HDB resident: 'When someone takes a shower, it will be raining from my ceiling'

The New Paper
Feb 6, 2023

Forget the weather forecast. One Bedok resident experiences rain even when it’s sunny outside – her ceiling, it seems, will drip whenever her upstairs neighbour takes a shower.

The 34-year-old has been living in such conditions in her HDB flat for the past three months. 

Speaking to Shin Min Daily News, the resident, surnamed Lin, said she has also experienced several power outages because of the leakage.

The situation has since forced her to dismantle her cabinets and relocate her power sockets, all at her own cost.

Lin has lived in the 46-year-old flat in Block 108 Bedok North Road for about a year and a half. Things were normal at first, she said, until the frequent leaks began to occur six months ago.

"When the water usage upstairs is minimal, I might only see a few droplets dripping down. However, when someone takes a shower, it will be raining from my ceiling," Lin said.

"The leakage problem started six months ago, but it got much worse in the last three months. My wooden cabinets were decaying so I had to dispose of all of them."

She claimed that since October last year, there have been more than 10 power outages. Now, she uses plastic bags to "insulate" the sockets from water damage before use.

She hired electricians to repair a particular socket numerous times, but they told her the problem would persist as long as the leakage issue was not solved.

As for the costs incurred, she has forked out over $9,000 to install her cabinets and about $5,000 for the electrical wiring.

Lin said that she went to the Small Claims Tribunal recently to claim damages of around $5,000. The case has not been settled.

She has also contacted the Building Construction Authority on the matter, who proposed to subsidise 50 per cent of the maintenance cost under the Goodwill Repair Assistance Scheme – but it would take two to four months to carry out the repairs.

"I even tried to communicate with the owner upstairs and asked her to get some repairs done… but she refused." Lin said.

Lin’s neighbour upstairs declined to comment when Shin Min visited the unit.