A family in Bukit Panjang has been ordered by the court to vacate their HDB flat unit for being noisy neighbours, The Straits Times (ST) reported on Jan. 5, 2020.

The Exclusion Order, which was issued by the Community Dispute Resolution Tribunal (CDRT), came into effect on Jan. 6 and will last till Feb. 6.

It is the first Exclusion Order to be issued, and comes after the flat's occupants breached an earlier court order to keep their noise levels down, ST added.

Although the order was directed at Low Bok Siong and his other half, Iwa, the couple's two grown children will have to leave the flat as well.

Upstairs neighbour affected

The order was set in motion by the family's neighbour upstairs, 29-year-old Daniel See.

See could not live in peace due to the noise disturbance created by the family.

According to ST, the dispute started in November 2017, when See called the police on Iwa after witnessing her hitting the staircase railing with a metal rod.

See believes that the family has been unhappy with him since, and made excessive noise targeted at him for the past two years.

This includes hammering and playing loud music, ST said.

The Low family went to the extent of leaving one bedroom unoccupied at night, so that they could blast the music directly underneath See's bedroom.

This resulted in three adults sleeping in one bedroom, with their heads in blankets, while the fourth member of the family slept in the living room.

See had previously sought help from the police, the town council, the Housing Development Board (HDB), and his MP, but it did not work.

ST wrote that he finally filed a complaint with the tribunal in June 2018.

Since then, it's been bureaucracies and investigations, finally leading to the Exclusion Order which See pasted on Low's doors on Jan. 4.

Low's family not intending to comply

In a follow-up report on Jan. 7, ST revealed that the the Low family do not intend to comply with the Exclusion Order.

Instead, they will be hiring a lawyer to appeal against it.

As of Jan. 6, the family has yet to move out.

If the Exclusion Order does not work, See will have to file a Magistrate's Complaint to enforce it under the Community Dispute Resolution Act (CDRA).

Low and his family will each be fined up to S$5,000, imprisoned for up to three months or both, if convicted.

But that will take more time and energy on See's part, with uncertain results.

According to ST, See intends to file the complaint, as he said he "can't be giving up" after coming this far.

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