'My neighbours ganged up against me': Man with 9 air-con units moves out of Sengkang flat

'My neighbours ganged up against me': Man with 9 air-con units moves out of Sengkang flat
While Huang has moved out of his Sengkang flat, he did not bring the nine air-con units with him.
PHOTO: Shin Min Daily News

This man's nine air-con units at home proved to be too cool for his neighbours. 

64-year-old Huang can no longer put up with their complaints and he has moved out of the four-room flat he rented along Compassvale Road.

"My neighbours ganged up against me. They also went to the authorities and the press," Huang told Shin Min Daily News, clarifying that he left of his own accord on Sept 17.

He has since moved to an executive flat in Sengkang and said he will relocate eight air-con units to his new residence. 

While the move costs him an estimated $20,000, Huang has come to terms with it.

With the abrupt termination of his previous flat's lease, the man said he has to forfeit the $7,600 deposit and also bear the costs of re-installing the air-con units in his new home.

"As long as I get to live comfortably, it doesn't matter," he said.

Too cool for neighbours

Huang's neighbours' complaints about his air-con units made headlines last month. 

The man, who has liver cancer, explained that he spent $13,000 installing the air-con units to "feel comfortable" at home. 

Despite turning down the temperature to as low as 18 degree Celsius in his flat, Huang wore several layers of clothing as he also believes that "keeping the body warm helps to improve immunity". 

One neighbour, surnamed Liu, complained that the condensation from Huang's air-con made his floor damp.

The 57-year-old, who lived in the unit directly above Huang's, said at that time: "For the past two months, we've been stepping on cold and wet floor every day. My wife has to mop the floor three times a day."

The pair met on Aug 22 to come up with a solution, and Liu shared that he was notified by the authorities that Huang would move to another flat in the following month.

Another neighbour who lived in a flat directly below Huang's said that many parts of his home had turned mouldy due to the condensation from the air-con units. 

The man, surnamed Su, also approached Huang to resolve the issue. Although the latter agreed to increase the temperature of his air-con units, the situation never improved. 

While Su is relieved to learn that Huang has moved out, he said he’ll need to spend about $500 to repaint his ceiling.

“The landlord should also be held responsible for this. They can’t ignore other residents’ complaints just because they're receiving rent for the flat.”

chingshijie@asiaone.com

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