Alexandra condo residents' shoe racks & doormats removed by management due to 'obstruction' & 'breach of law'

A resident at Alexis condominium, located along Alexandra Road, came home one day and found that a shoe rack which was affixed to the outside of her door had gone missing.

She later discovered that it had been removed and taken away by the condo's management.

This was one incident in a spate of alleged run-ins between the management and a handful of residents, arising from the decision to impose a ban on placing items along corridors.

The disagreement has left the residents feeling that the management is overlooking their needs as they enforce the ban.

Condo's ban

It began around March 2024, Eunice, a three-year resident at the condo, told Mothership.

According to Eunice, the ban was imposed without a proper explanation.

Residents received a letter which was slipped under their doors.

The letter, titled "Encroachment of Common Property" and written entirely in uppercase, began with: "Many residents are unfamiliar with the rules which govern living within a strata development or condominium."

It went on to remind residents, for "ease of reference", to refrain from "changing the outlook of the common area", including placing shoe cabinets, floor mats and other items.

It stated that such items may cause obstruction, impede access or create a fire hazard.

The letter also referenced the Building Maintenance and Strata Management Act and stated that encroachment of the common area was "a breach of the law".

"We appreciate your cooperation in removing all personal belongings from the common area," the letter concluded.

Management took over in 2024

Residents have had no issues leaving items like shoes outside their units until the new management, Hilandas Property and Facilities Management, took over in 2024, Eunice said.

According to her, personal items left outside the door had been removed by the condo management "without permission" since they were notified of the ban.

"The police was called in several times," she said, claiming that the management had gotten more "brazen" in recent months.

Eunice's husband messaged a staff member from the condo's management about their missing shoe rack, to which the management responded with images of their missing rack and the imprints it left behind.

Another resident, who only wanted to be known as R, shared a similar experience.

R, who has been living at Alexis condo for three years, went overseas in February for surgery.

He returned to find three letters under his door and one in his mailbox informing him that he was not allowed to have a doormat outside his door.

The letter also informed him that it would be removed, and, sure enough, the cat-shaped mat was gone when he returned.

"I used to be able to tell my friends, 'Just look for the cat'," R lamented.

Another resident of four years, Y, also claimed to have had his shoe rack removed by the management.

Mats and shoe racks reasonable: Residents

In June 2024, affected residents got together to pen a letter to the condo's management, urging them to reconsider the ban.

They explained that placing door mats and footwear outside units was within a "reasonable expectation" and practical.

Eunice shared that the shoe rack affixed outside her door was for the convenience of her elderly mother, so she did not have to fully bend over to pick up and put on her shoes.

The residents also pointed out that they had sought clarifications from the Singapore Civil Defence Force, who apparently told them that it did not specifically regulate the placement of footwear or doormats.

The only guidance was to allow a 1.2m clearance along corridors in case of emergencies.

The residents' letter was ignored despite being physically and electronically sent to the condo management, Eunice said.

Unfair enforcement

To add to the residents' grievances, Eunice shared that the ban on items in common areas appeared to be enforced unfairly.

At one corner unit, a doormat and a pair of shoes were left outside the door.

There was also a hanging incense urn affixed to the wall adjacent to the door.

When questioned, the condo management allegedly explained that corner units were allowed to have up to two pairs of shoes placed outside their unit.

According to Eunice, the resident of the unit was a "prominent council member".

Ironically, another resident who also lived in a corner unit, Goh, said she was told that she was not allowed to have shoes or doormats at all.

She has been staying at Alexis condo for nine years.

She shared that she used to have a mat outside her door until the management approached her about it.

Since she was home at the time, Goh said she consented to having the management remove the mat. She did so as the mat was old.

"Other neighbours never got their mats back, but it wasn't removed with their permission," Goh said.

She has since left a pair of slippers outside her door, which has been undisturbed by the condo's management thus far.

Rule versus residents' needs

The residents resurfaced their letter to the management again in July this year, but did not get a response this time either.

Goh commented that management was overly focused on enforcing the common property rule rather than addressing other issues at the condo.

"The refusal to engage the residents in discussion and be even-handed on common property issues reflects a lack of accountability by the MCST to address residents' needs," Eunice said.

Y pointed out that the situation only deteriorated after a new manager was assigned to Alexis condo about six months ago.

To him, residents aren't intentionally trying to flout the rules, and it feels as if it's about what the manager wants rather than how things "should be".

Mothership has reached out to Hilandas for comments.

Top image via Eunice