Resident's neighbour: "For 10 years, either drilling the wall or knocking the floor or dragging furniture at night" - Singapore News

Source: The Independent
Author: Beatrice Del Rosario

SINGAPORE: After putting up with a noisy upstairs neighbour for 1o years, a resident has had it, taking to social media to ask Singaporeans for advice.

"For 10 years, literally every single day, either they are drilling the wall for more than 30 minutes (don't know drill what also) or knocking the floor with a walking stick and dragging furniture at night," the online user wrote on Monday (Feb 26).

"It's at a tolerable level but sometimes it gets excessively and increasingly loud.

How I know it is a walking stick is because I went upstairs one night to confront them but they didn't answer the door and continued knocking on the floor with what sounds like a metal hollow walking stick that elderly people usually use.

I also called the police whenever it gets way too noisy at night but the noises only subdued for a few days and it's back to knocking and dragging.

I don't know what else to do since I already knocked and they didn't answer. The only conclusion I can come up with is the person is maybe an IMH patient as my estate is nearby it.

Even with that information, I don't know what I can do or should do. Does anyone have any suggestions on what to do?" the writer asked, adding, "Legal or not-so-legal ideas accepted."

Surprisingly, the post encouraged some other people to come forward with their own "nuisance neighbour" stories. Many shared their own anecdotes about having to deal with such neighbours.

While some shared that confrontation was necessary, others resorted to calling the authorities and getting them involved. However, some argued that these measures didn't provide long-term solutions.

"I feel you," wrote one resident who had their own noisy neighbour experience.

"I have neighbours with noisy kids upstairs as well and constant knocking on the floor. Suspected they have a platform in their room hence why there is a hollow sound every time they walk, jump/run on it.

Couldn't take it one time at midnight. Went up angrily and told them off. 15-year-old boy denied knocking, his mother came to the door and I told her off too.

Noise has since reduced but not significantly. I had sent in feedback to HDB before but it wasn't helpful too."

"We left notes for this particular household," shared another.

"Spoke to them face-to-face and exchanged contact to let them know when it got too loud. It worked for a while but became worse afterwards...Long story short, we called the police, town council and HDB a few times.

We gathered our neighbours and realised everyone was getting frustrated - so they reported this family too. And then we did it again, recounting our previous reports (aka, tell HDB everyone called the police multiple times and this is our last straw)

"Received a call from HDB the following day, honestly sounded like an intern reading from a script and didn't know how to help. But from that day on, we never had any issues (with) this family again."