Discussion sparks after MCST issued an encroachment notice to a resident in a condo at Fernvale Road over a doormat

SINGAPORE: A condominium situated at Fernvale Road had issued a notice to remove encroaching items from the property of one of its residents, following the established house rules.

On 22 August, in the “COMPLAINT SINGAPORE” group, Facebook user Frankie Lim posted an image of the notice provided by Management Corporation Strata Title (MCST).

The picture was posted along with a caption stating, “First time coming across a condo that don’t even allow a door mat on your doorstep.”

The user appeared to be taken aback by the condominium’s policy of not permitting a doormat to be placed and, in contrast, having it removed.

The notice stated that the resident had been informed before about using common property without permission and had been given “Sufficient Notice” to remove their items.

“Since no action was taken on your part, we have moved the items to the management’s holding area,” the statement noted.

The resident was advised to contact the management office to seek permission to retrieve the items.

The item that was taken away happened to be a doormat.

Additionally, the notice also emphasized that if the item isn’t reclaimed within a month, it will be disposed of, and neither the Management Council of MCST 4718 nor the Managing Agent will be responsible for any loss or harm to the removed items.

Netizens’ response

The reactions appeared to differ; some agreed that the condominium rules were overly strict, leading them to believe that Housing and Development Board (HDB) apartments are preferable due to their friendlier atmosphere and greater sense of freedom.

Commenters noted that HDB flats possess a “Kampong spirit,” in contrast to residents of condominiums who seemed to lack communication and had all their doors shut.

“…better buy landed property,” one user suggested.

Another user disclosed that their condominium was similarly stringent, disallowing them from hanging clothes to dry on their balcony, so they had to use a hair dryer to dry their clothes instead.

Nevertheless, even with the support, there were those who maintained that the blame is on the resident for not complying with the rules.

A user mentioned that the responsibility lies with the individual who placed the doormat in the narrow corridor, despite receiving multiple notices from MCST.

“Sorry but this time I have to agree with the management decision,” they said.

Another user supported MCST’s decision, asserting that if no one intervenes, people will continue to place items in common areas, and the corridor could become chaotic.

Additionally, some were also interested in knowing the size of the door mat mentioned, as the original user did not include a picture in his FB post.

One user speculated that perhaps it’s not just a regular mat but possibly a large Egyptian rug.