Mother-Daughter Duo Evicted After Trash-Filled Shanghai Apartment Draws Roaches

A mother and daughter have been forced to vacate their rented apartment in Shanghai's Pudong New Area after turning the 120-square-meter home into a foul-smelling dumping ground packed with garbage, rotting food, and a dozen unlicensed stray dogs, sparking months of complaints from neighbors, Shanghai Television Station reported.

Residents in the building first noticed the stench in February. Described as a nauseating mix of rotting trash, feces, and long-fermented kitchen waste, the odor soon became unbearable. "This house is no longer livable," one neighbor said, according to the report.

Large woven bags filled with waste began appearing regularly in the hallways. The bags attracted insects, some of which later infested several nearby apartments.

The source of the problem, neighbors soon discovered, was a mother and daughter who had recently moved into a second-floor unit. The pair – a 68-year-old mother and her 40-year-old daughter – were frequently seen rummaging through community trash bins between 2am and 4am, hauling back recyclables in large sacks.

The daughter had also taken in more than a dozen stray dogs. Residents reported loud noises late at night as the dogs ran and played inside the apartment, occasionally accompanied by the woman's commands. None of the animals had been vaccinated, adding to public health concerns.

In late February, police entered the apartment after a resident filed a complaint. Officers found the unit in complete disarray, cluttered floor-to-ceiling with scavenged waste. "The smell was overwhelming. Dog feces and urine were everywhere," authorities said, according to the report.

In March, local authorities and police removed the unlicensed dogs. However, the mother and daughter soon began taking in new strays and continued collecting garbage. Although a cleaner was dispatched daily to mop the hallway, neighbors said the measures failed to solve the problem.

The landlord, who had rushed to rent out the property before the Chinese New Year, expressed deep regret. "It feels like a nightmare. They've ruined my multimillion-yuan home," he said. "I don't care how much I lose. I just want them out," according to the report.

The pair was no stranger to complaints. They had previously owned property in Pudong and had savings from relocation compensation, yet appeared to survive on scavenging. The mother had been involved in heated disputes with former neighbors, and the duo had been evicted from other communities in the area for similar issues, according to local officials.

Following persistent intervention by local police, the mother and daughter moved out on May 31. Although the tenants left behind unpaid fees, the landlord said he would not seek compensation or pursue further claims, the report said.