A HDB flat owner is experiencing severe leakages from the unit above her that has spoilt her furniture and led to power outages.

The situation got to the point that she had to dismantle her cabinets and relocate her power sockets, Shin Min Daily News reported.

The 34-year-old owner, known as Lin, told the Chinese media that she has lived in Block 108, Bedok North Road for about a year and a half.

Things were normal at first, but frequent leaks began to occur three 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 claimed.

Lin shared that the leakage was so serious that she was even forced to dismantle and dispose of her cabinets:

"The leakage problem started six months ago, but it has become much worse in the recent three months. I saw my wooden cabinets were decaying so I had to dispose of all of them."

She added that since October last year, there have been more than 10 power outages, which posed safety concerns. Nowadays, she even uses plastic bags to "insulate" the sockets from water damage before use.

Lin identified a particular socket below the leakage which would cause a power outage when used.

She had hired electricians to repair it countless times, but they apparently informed her the problem would persist as long as the leakage issue was not solved.

Lin chose to relocate the affected socket, but was worried that this might affect the other electrical circuits at home.

The cost of the damage

Lin said that she had previously spent a lot of money to renovate and furnish the 46-year-old house.

It cost her more than S$9,000 to install her cabinets and about S$5,000 for the electrical wiring, both of which have been damaged due to the water leakage.

She spent another S$400 to hire someone to dispose of the damaged cabinets.

Lin said that she went to the Small Claims Tribunal last month, claiming damages of around S$4,500 to $5,000. The case has not been settled.

Owner upstairs allegedly refused to cooperate on finding a solution

Lin pointed out that when she originally viewed the flat, it was in good condition with no signs of water leakage.

She felt assured as the previous owner had lived there for 10 years, and decided to buy it. She then moved into the flat in July 2021, before the problems began.

She also contacted the Building Construction Authority (BCA) on this matter, who has agreed to send an inspector.

Lin revealed that BCA had proposed to subsidise 50 per cent of the maintenance cost under the Goodwill Repair Assistance Scheme (GRA), but it would take two to four months to carry out the repair.

Lin felt that the situation had to be solved as soon as possible, as the leak is already affecting the rest of her house, including the bedrooms.

"I even tried to communicate with the owner upstairs and asked her to get some repairs done. Even if it's just temporary, I hoped to solve the leakage problem, but she refused." Lin alleged.

The owner above Lin's unit declined to comment when Shin Min visited.

Top image via Shin Min Daily News