Singapore resident seeks advice after neighbour uses karaoke from 11 pm to 1 am every night

SINGAPORE: A beleaguered individual living in Singapore took to social media to ask for advice concerning a pretty common problem in the city-state: what they can do when their neighbours are noisy.

Because Singapore has limited space, people live very closely with one another, particularly in public housing, which leads to problems when someone wants to rest or sleep, and others are still up and about, making more noise than is comfortable for those who live nearby.

“Need advice on neighbour noise in Yishun. For 2 weeks, loud karaoke and music daily from 11 pm to 1 am. Already reported to Town Council via OneService app, but no action. Any other channel I can escalate to? Thank you,” a Facebook user wrote in a post on the popular Complaint Singapore page.

Commenters on the post provided a number of suggestions, some of which were not that helpful.

For example, some recommended that the post author simply give up and contact a property agent to find a new place to live.

Some suggested that they call the police, which is possible for noise complaints between 10:30 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. The police may be contacted at their non-emergency hotline, but neighbourhood disputes are civil and not criminal cases, and the best that officers can do is to urge parties to cooperate. (Bad karaoke is not a crime anywhere, sadly).

Others urged the post author to contact their Member of Parliament, which residents can do during Meet-the-People sessions. An MP may write an official referral or appeal letter to agencies like the Housing & Development Board (HDB) or the relevant Town Council, but has no power to make noises stop.

There were also commenters who provided an “if you can’t beat them, join them” solution, saying that perhaps the post author can knock on the door and take part in the singing themself.

So what can Singaporeans do in such situations?

According to the Ask.Legal blog, the first step is to calmly talk to the neighbour and ask them to stop making so much noise so late at night. 

The advice on the blog included carefully documenting everything in a noise log on the same day, noting the date, time, duration, and type of noise.

The next step would be to approach the Town Council for help, and for people who live in private housing, the MCST.

If that still doesn’t work, they can resort to mediation at a Community Mediation Centre, which is generally required before a Tribunal claim.

Persistent cases may also be reported to a Community Relations Unit pilot, if there is one in the area.

If all of the above fails, a person may file a claim at Community Disputes Resolution Tribunals. /TISG

Read also: 'My HDB neighbour keeps complaining we're making stomping noises in the bedroom every night... but no one is in that room' — Resident asks for advice