Action against Anti-social Neighbours

34 Mr Darryl David asked the Minister for National Development what action can be taken towards recalcitrant HDB residents who create persistent problems for their neighbours, such as noise pollution, hoarding, cluttering public areas, poor environmental hygiene and disrupting the peace.

Mr Lawrence Wong: The approach to take depends on the nature of the issue involved. If there are clear regulatory breaches by these "recalcitrant residents", then it is best to approach the relevant agency. For instance, if the issue is over obstruction of the common corridor, and there is a clear breach of the rules, then residents can approach the Town Councils. If it is a case of smoking or littering, then the National Environment Agency (NEA) will enforce. Or if it is a case of hoarding, then Housing and Development Board (HDB) officers will step in to carry out inspections and, if the hoarding is assessed to be excessive, HDB will ask the residents to remove the unwanted items.

Sometimes, the anti-social behaviours may not be regulatory breaches but involve private disputes between neighbours. In such cases, we want as much as possible for the individuals concerned to take responsibility and ownership of their own issues. They should first speak to each other and strive to resolve the matter amicably. If the issue cannot be resolved, disputants can seek help from a neutral third party, such as a grassroots leader, to facilitate resolution. Such intervention or informal mediation goes a long way to prevent simple conflicts from escalating further.

Should informal mediation be unsuccessful, the case can be referred to the Community Mediation Centre for mediation. Where the cases involve long-standing and intractable disputes between neighbours, the aggrieved parties can bring a claim to the Community Disputes Resolution Tribunals as a last resort.