S’pore expands neighbour dispute unit for noise and hoarding

The ministries said that if disputing neighbours reach a settlement during mediation, the agreement can be registered as a CDRT order, if all parties consent.

This allows for quicker enforcement – if a party does not comply with the order, the other can apply to enforce it.

CRU’s Tampines pilot

The CRU handled nine noise dispute cases during its Tampines pilot, the ministries said. There were no cases involving hoarding.

Four of the nine involved people with mental health issues. In these cases, the CRU worked with agencies such as the Institute of Mental Health and Family Service Centres to facilitate assessment and treatment.

A fifth case involved the deliberate use of noise to disturb neighbours. It stopped after intervention by officers from CRU and other agencies.

Noise sensors were used in one of these cases.

In the remaining four cases, investigations found no evidence of severe noise and the parties were directed to other avenues to resolve their disputes, the ministries said.

In one case, CRU directed both parties to attend mediation and they reached a settlement.

“These cases were still useful for CRU and front-line agencies’ learning, on how to better triage cases for severity going forward,” MinLaw and MND said.

From April 2025 to July 2026, there were 124 neighbour disputes registered for voluntary mediation in Tampines, of which 87 were noise-related.

The authorities said that the CRU will target the small number of severe cases that cannot be resolved through mediation or the CDRT. Such cases typically involve excessive and prolonged noise disturbance that causes significant distress to multiple residents, they added.

“The CRU is not a substitute for strong community norms, good neighbourly relations and early dispute resolution. The Government will continue to encourage neighbours to resolve disputes early and amicably, including through community mediation.”

Asked about hoarding issues, MinLaw and MND said there was no severe hoarding case in the pilot where a forced declutter could be exercised.

In such an instance, neighbours can file a case at the CDRT, which can order the hoarder to declutter his unit.

If the hoarder ignores it, the CRU can obtain an order to forcibly declutter the residential unit, after all efforts by front-line agencies have been exhausted.

During the pilot, four mediation directions were also issued.

Two cases saw both parties attending mediation and reaching settlement agreements – one of these was referred to mediation by the CRU.

In one case, however, the parties could not reach an agreement despite mediation. The case was then referred to the CRU, and the situation improved after the unit engaged the family.

In the last case, the complainant did not attend mediation and was issued a warning for non-compliance. He subsequently withdrew the case.

Michael Chew, a master mediator with the Community Mediation Centre, said the role of a mediator is to act as a neutral party and help the parties come to an agreement.

Most disputes he handles are noise-related, while others are over the use of common areas, cigarette smoke or hoarding.

He said a challenge he faces is when a neighbour dispute has gone on for many years and the distrust between both parties is deep-seated.

“In more complex cases, one party may not want to give way,” he said, adding that he will then speak to each party separately and encourage them to find a solution.

Executive master mediator P. Thirunal Karasu said that sometimes, even when a settlement agreement is reached, the parties may come back for mediation again if they are not satisfied with the outcome.

“As a mediator, we try to get both parties to talk about (the issue) with an open mind. We are not the decision-makers – they have to make the decision on how to move forward,” he added.