SHANGHAI: A woman in China has developed depression after two male window cleaners saw her asleep naked in her home.
The woman and her husband live in Port Apartment, a high-end housing estate in Chengdu, in southwestern Sichuan province. They pay 10,000 yuan (US$1,400) a month in rent.
Her plight captivated mainland social media after her husband, surnamed Cheng, exposed the situation online in the middle of August.
The couple said they were not satisfied with the manner in which the property management company had dealt with their problem, the Huashang News reported.
The incident unfolded on the morning of April 25 when Cheng was working in their living room while his wife was asleep in the bedroom.
Suddenly he heard his wife screaming.
“I went to check on her. My wife was sleeping naked. Two workers, who were cleaning our window, were gawking at her,” said Cheng.
He said the curtains were not closed and the light was on in the room at the time.
“We normally do not wear pyjamas. I promptly ran to draw the curtains,” said Cheng, adding that his wife was woken up by the sound made by the workers.
The couple blame the property management company for not notifying them of the exact time the window cleaners would be outside their flat.
“They only told us the glass cleaning task would be carried out in the daytime from April 21 to April 30. It is impossible for us not to open curtains for the whole 10 days.
“Therefore I urged them twice to tell us in advance if the workers were soon to be near our room,” said Cheng.
“They promised they would notify us. However, in the end, they forgot to do so,” he said.
Cheng said his wife has been in low spirits ever since and was diagnosed with depression and anxiety in May.
The couple want a public apology from the property management firm, plus a “reasonable” amount of compensation. Both requests have been turned down, said Cheng.
“They only sent a worker with a basket of fruit to our home to apologise. As for my wife’s mental suffering, they showed no concern,” he said.
Their rental contract expires at the end of August.
As the incident attracted wide attention on social media, the company recently agreed to reduce the rent by 600 yuan (US$80) a month if they renew the contract.
“We can afford a monthly rent of 10,000 yuan. Are we short of 600 yuan? This offer is typical of their attitude in dealing with our problem; we are not satisfied,” Cheng said. - South China Morning Post
