SINGAPORE: A woman who has been trying to sell her flat for some time now has been keeping her belongings in some of the common areas of the HDB block where she lives, including at the stairwell and in the corridor in front of her unit.

She has been doing this to create space for potential buyers to view her flat, located on the seventh floor of Blk 33 Eunos Crescent. Her neighbours, however, have been less than pleased with this arrangement, a report in Shin Min Daily News says, as they’ve been inconvenienced by it for more than a year.

The report says that clothes, boxes, and a wheelchair have been placed in the corridor of the Block, and even a line of drying clothes was placed on the parapet. At the stairwell, meanwhile, some of the woman’s belongings are covered with plastic sheeting.

The 49-year-old woman who lives in the flat, identified in the report only as Aida, said that after her mother died last year, her family said they would be selling the flat, which means she would be moving out.

Her family members started placing their items along the corridor to make room for would-be buyers to look around the unit. Shin Min Daily News quotes Ms Aida as saying the situation is not within her control and that because she is ill with diabetes and asthma, it’s hard for her to put the belongings in order.

She also knows that the situation is inconvenient to her neighbours, but added that she is hoping to move out before August and made an appeal for others to understand that her things need to be outside the unit for now.

An effort to tidy up the items appears to have been made, as the report says the area at the stairwell is now clear, though many personal items are still in the corridor.

The Marine Parade Town Council stepped in to ask the family that owns the flat to tidy up the common areas.

“Obstruction of public areas poses a serious risk to residents, especially during emergencies. The Town Council will monitor the situation closely and continue to educate residents on the risks,” it said.

The report also quotes a 72-year-old man who lives at the Block, saying that the items started appearing in the common areas over a year ago and that they only increased as time went by. He noted that they make the corridor crowded and are a fire hazard.

A 79-year-old resident is also quoted as saying she needs to avoid tripping on the unit owner’s belongings every time she passes by. /TISG

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