"What to Do About Neighbors Who Pile Up Clutter in the Apartment Entrance"

Strollers, Recycling Bins, and Umbrella Stands in the Hallway
"Fire Safety Violation Complaints" vs "Not an Obstruction to Passage"

A story about a neighbor stacking miscellaneous items in the hallway in front of an apartment entrance has become a hot topic online.

Recently, a post titled "The newlywed couple next door uses the hallway for personal purposes" was uploaded to an online community. The author, Mr. A, said that the neighbor keeps a stroller, recycling bins, and an umbrella stand in the hallway and wrote, "I'm curious how others have resolved similar situations, so I'm posting this."

Mr. A said, "I often visit my sister's house, and I noticed a recycling bin placed in front of the neighbor's hallway. I told my sister, 'Shouldn't they keep that kind of thing inside their own home? You should say something.' But she said that since the neighbor often goes on business trips and doesn't want to fight with them, she let it go," adding, "I thought, 'Well, as long as it doesn't smell,' but the number of items kept there kept increasing."

He continued, "When I visited this time, there were recycling bins, an umbrella stand, and even delivery boxes in the hallway. The baby stroller from the mother next door is the least of the issues," and asked, "Is it okay to do this in a shared space?"

[Photo by Online Community Nate Pann]

Photos attached by Mr. A show recycling bins and an umbrella stand placed in front of the neighbor's door. While delivery boxes can be collected by the owners, bulky items like strollers are often left out, drawing attention from netizens about possible violations of fire safety regulations.

Netizens responded, "Take pictures and report it as a fire safety violation. You can use the civil complaint app," and "Looking at the photo, there is a box stacked right under the emergency exit sign. File a complaint with the management office. Due to fire safety laws, no items should be near emergency stairs."

On the other hand, some netizens commented, "It doesn't seem to obstruct other residents' passage given the house layout," and "As long as it's not food waste or blocking the passage, it should be fine."

When determining violations of fire safety laws, it is important to assess whether the evacuation route is obstructed. Apartment hallways and staircases serve as evacuation routes for many people during a fire, and placing obstacles there can result in fines. Failure to comply with correction orders can lead to imprisonment of up to three years or fines under 15 million KRW.

However, if passage is still possible for two or more people and the stacked items can be moved immediately, fines are generally not imposed.