The company that owns all three ground-floor shop units at Robinson Suites was ordered to pay the condo’s management S$10,000 after losing its bid to remove vending machines and bins from the walkway outside the shops.
The Strata Titles Board dismissed Boon Trading Pte Ltd’s application on 16 October 2026 and ordered it to pay the management corporation S$8,000 in costs and S$2,000 in expenses. Lianhe Zaobao reported the case on 8 November.
Why the Shop Unit Owner Wanted the Machines Removed
The covered walkway at 50 Robinson Road is part of the condo’s common property. It runs past three glass-fronted units let to a stationery shop, a securities brokerage and a medical clinic.
Management installed five vending machines in May 2025, added two in February 2026 and put in an eighth in May 2026. It placed bins beside the machines.
Boon Trading said the machines blocked pedestrians’ view of the shopfronts at eye level and made the units darker. It also said one tenant had asked for lower rent. The company wanted the machines and bins removed, an order preventing management from putting up future obstructions, and the 2023 decision authorising the rental of common space overturned.
While the case was underway, management removed two machines and repositioned the other six. Its architect calculated that about 80.5 per cent of the glass at each of two units was clear after the move, while the third unit’s windows were entirely unobstructed. Boon Trading did not dispute those figures.
Why the Board Dismissed the Application
The board found that the 2023 vote, which authorised management to rent out common property for one to three years, was valid. The motion had passed without any votes against it. The board also said photographs and documents showed that people could still see through the shop windows.
The board said the Building (Strata Management) Act did not give it the power to order the machines and bins removed or bar management from putting up future obstructions. It also found that the company had not shown how the machines interfered with the units’ claimed legal right to receive light.
Boon Trading had also questioned whether the walkway setup needed approval from the Urban Redevelopment Authority. The board said any complaint about compliance should go to the authority and that the issue did not affect the validity of the 2023 vote.
