Up till the end of last year, Madam Noma Salam, 51, lived in a densely packed block of rental flats in Champions Way, Woodlands, where she had to put up with problems from her neighbours, such as domestic quarrels and fights in the early hours of the day, on a daily basis.

"It wasn't peaceful at all, and because there were so many problems, people from purchased flats in the neighbourhood looked at us differently. If I smiled at them, they won't even smile back. It was as if there was a label on your forehead," said Madam Noma, a housewife.