Written Answer by Ministry of National Development on unresolved disputes between HDB residents

Oct 6, 2020

Mr Don Wee: To ask the Minister for National Development whether HDB will require more legislative power to evict and blacklist disturbing neighbours when the disputes cannot be resolved by the Community Disputes Resolution Tribunal, Community Mediation Centre and via a Magistrate's Complaint.

Answer:

Neighbourliness, mutual respect and consideration are important attributes required in dense, high-rise city living. When disputes occur, as they sometimes do, they are often best resolved by neighbours coming together to understand and try to resolve the cause of the friction and unhappiness between them. 

Where neighbours are unable to resolve the dispute themselves, the Government has created avenues to help neighbours work out their disagreements. Under the inter-agency Community Dispute Management Framework (CDMF), most disputes between neighbours in HDB estates can be resolved amicably with some help from grassroots leaders and community partners. Additionally, the disputing parties can also seek mediation by trained, neutral mediators at the Community Mediation Centre, who can help parties reach mutually acceptable solutions. As a last resort in intractable cases where parties are unable to resolve their disputes through community facilitation or voluntary mediation, the aggrieved parties can file a case with the Community Disputes Resolution Tribunal (CDRT). Where criminal conduct is alleged, a Magistrate’s Complaints can be made. Along the way, various government agencies can also render assistance depending on the nature of the disputes involved.

Despite these avenues, there continue to be difficult and intractable cases that remain unresolved. In some instances, there are neighbours who are so recalcitrant, that they are undeterred by court orders or criminal sanctions. Currently, HDB could potentially acquire HDB property from such owners under limited circumstances. However, this is a measure that has great impact on residents, and is not undertaken lightly. Eviction and blacklisting of such residents, and compulsory acquisition of their HDB flats, is not always the solution. The flat owners in question still require a roof over their heads and will need to find a home elsewhere, and if the underlying issues are not resolved, the problem will just be brought over to another community.

The Government will study how to better deal with these difficult cases as part of the ongoing review of the framework.