One afternoon, my mother visited our apartment and made some braised fish, a dish my pregnant wife could not stand the smell of. I opened the door for a few minutes to air out the room but before I could close it, a security guard arrived and issued us a notice for violating the apartment’s door-opening rule. The next day, my mother forgot to close the door after taking out the trash and we received another fine.
I asked the management board, “Why aren’t residents allowed to open the doors to their apartments?” They said it was the building’s rule and had to be followed by all residents.
When I questioned the policy, the building management explained that it was meant to ensure security by preventing theft and protecting residents’ privacy, maintain safety in case of fire or bad weather, and support building operations by keeping the area tidy, reducing noise, and protecting the shared ventilation and air conditioning systems.
Living in an apartment means sharing a community where every action can affect others.
There was a recent incident at another apartment complex where two children playing ball in a hallway broke a fire valve. It caused water to flood the area for hours before security discovered the damage and the elevator was broken.
In some apartment buildings, families let their children play, shout, or ride bicycles in hallways, causing noise and disturbing neighbors. These small incidents, when repeated, can make the living environment uncomfortable.
That is why I understand why many luxury apartments set strict and sometimes unreasonable rules. Some residents may think, “It’s my door, I have the right to open or close it, so why the fine?”
It made me think about how the rules are enforced. When the guard came to us with a violation notice, I felt like a criminal instead of a resident. A polite reminder and clear explanation would have made the situation easier to accept.
In apartment living, the challenge is not following the rules but balancing personal comfort with shared responsibility.
Absolute freedom is impossible in a shared space, but rules should not be so strict that residents feel constrained in their own homes, especially after spending a large amount of money to buy them.
