First-Time Homeowner Bought A Resale Flat Then Found A Pigeon-Infested Air-Con Ledge; Now The Birds Have Laid Eggs

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Most people buying a resale flat would probably inspect everything, from the flooring and plumbing to the kitchen cabinets.

But one place never crossed first-time homeowner Sandra Lee's mind: the air-con ledge.

"What can go wrong, right?" she joked in a Instagram Reel.

Well, as it turns out, quite a lot.

After collecting the keys to her Jalan Kayu resale HDB flat in May, Sandra and her fiancé were switching off the compressor at the flat when they were greeted by what she describes as a horror scene.

The air-con units were blanketed in pigeon droppings. littered with twigs and, to make matters worse, buzzing with houseflies.

Speaking to 8days.sg, Sandra says “the bird droppings covered the top of the two air-con compressors and the floor as well.” 

“Both my fiancé and I were shocked and disgusted by the amount of bird droppings.” 

According to Sandra, who works as a livestreamer, things became even more unpleasant after they switched on the air-conditioning.

“It smelt like we were in the Bird Park. It was that bad,” she said in an earlier Instagram video.

Sandra shares with 8days.sg that bought the resale flat in February this year, and it is her first HDB resale purchase.

And while she says she and her fiancé carried out fairly thorough inspections before completing the purchase, one spot escaped their attention.

"Overall, we had done quite thorough checks, but checking the air-con ledge did not cross our minds," she says.

The previous owner had already moved out by the time they viewed the unit, so there was little reason to suspect anything unusual.

"If we knew the air-con ledge situation from the start, I'd raise it to the previous owner to hopefully get it fixed before the purchase completion,” Sandra tells 8days.sg.

She also tells us she is not sure if the previous owners knew about the pigeon problem while living there.

Sandra first contacted NParks for help but was informed the matter did not fall under the agency's purview.

She then approached her Town Council, which explained that because the air-con ledge forms part of the flat, it was ultimately the homeowner's responsibility to engage a contractor to remove the nest and clean the area.

The Town Council also told her it would continue carrying out pigeon management efforts around the estate and provided a list of contractors who could assist.

Sandra has since arranged for professional cleaners to sanitise both the ledge and the air-conditioning compressors.

“We spent about S$600 to S$800 for a chemical wash for our compressors and aircon units,” she shared, adding that the pigeon droppings have not damaged the compressors.

In the meantime, the couple has avoided turning on the air-conditioning altogether.

“We did not want to further contaminate the compressor,” she explains.

Just when Sandra thought things couldn't get any worse, her feathered squatters decided they were ready to settle down permanently.

About a week after discovering the pigeons, she realised they had started laying eggs.

In a recent Instagram Reel, Sandra challenged viewers to count them.

From what we could see, there are three eggs in total. One precariously sits near the edge of the ledge, while two others rest safely inside a neatly constructed twig nest.

She also tells us that to date, the eggs have not hatched yet.

When 8days.sg asked if she had any inkling why the pigeons had chosen her home, she said she initially had no idea till she took a closer look around her estate.

“We noticed that the units above us were all equipped with nets and spikes. This means that it has been an ongoing issue in the area and the birds just decided to relocate here since our unit was one of the few without any 'protection',” she tells us.

Since posting about her experience online, Sandra says many homeowners have reached out to share their own encounters with stubborn pigeons.

"Quite a few homeowners commented or DM-ed me to share what they have done to get rid of the birds," she says.

She adds that their Town Council had helped install netting around the ledge to prevent future feathered tenants from moving in.

Even so, the experience has left her with one lingering question.

“Honestly, until now I still have no idea who is responsible for such a situation,” she admits to us.

8days.sg has reached out to NParks and Jalan Kayu Town Council for comment, but has not received a response at press time.

Photos: sandspicks.sg/IG