I am having problems with my neighbour

I am having problems with my neighbour

I am having problems with my neighbour

  • Try to talk to your neighbour about the problem. 
  • Seek assistance from your Community Centre (CC). You can find your nearest CC through People Association’s CC Locator.
  • Seek assistance from your Town Council. Your town council depends on which constituency you belong to. You may search for your town council by your address or postal code using the Town Council finder at Mylegacy.life.gov.sg.
  • Try mediation. Mediation is when you talk about the problem together with your neighbour with the help of a trained professional to guide the discussion. It would be good to try mediation first because it is probably: (i) cheaper, (ii) faster, and (iii) even if you go to court, the court will likely order you to go mediate first. 

The Community Mediation Centre run by the Ministry of Law provides cost-effective mediation services. Resolving neighbour disputes is one of their specialities.

For a one-time only $5 administrative fee, you can request for an unlimited number of mediation sessions within 3 months of your first mediation session. Each mediation session lasts about 2 hours. 

You can apply for mediation at the Community Mediation Centre either online (using SingPass), or by calling 1800-CALL-LAW (1800-2255-529) from Mon - Fri: 8.30am to 5.00pm (Closed on Weekends & Public Holidays).

Note that mediation is only possible if all parties (including your neighbour) agree to participate.

You may file a case with the Community Disputes Resolution Tribunal (CDRT), a court specializing in neighbour dispute claims.

The CDRT can order your neighbour to: 

  • Do something, 
  • Stop doing something, 
  • Apologise to you, or 
  • Pay you money (not more than $20,000). 

Find out more about what the CDRT court can order on the Singapore Courts website. 

Lawyers are not encouraged at the CDRT. Lawyers can only attend if your neighbour agrees and the judge permits it.

  • You must know the full name and address of the person you want to bring to court. If you know their address but not their full name, you can do a search based on their address from the Income Tax Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) e-service for $2.50.
  • You should take the pre-filing assessment on the Community Justice and Tribunals System to check whether your claim is eligible for the Community Disputes Resolution Tribunal. Examples of cases seen at CDRT include:
    • excessive noise, smell, smoke, light, or vibration;
    • blocking your house access;
    • keeping watch on you at or near your house;
    • littering; and
    • entering your property without permission
  • The incident must have occurred within the past 2 years.
  • You cannot file against someone living in the same house as you.
  • Prepare evidence to support your claim, such as:
    • photographs
    • audio recordings
    • video recordings
    • medical reports
    • police reports
    • letters to and from your neighbour
    • letters attempting to mediate the matter
  • Lawyers are not allowed to represent parties at the CDRT unless the CDRT gives special permission.

File a claim online through the Community Justice and Tribunals System on the court's website.

  • A user guide for filing a claim for neighbour disputes can be found here.
  • An example of the information needed to file your claim can be found here.

If you need computer or internet access to file your claim, visit the State Courts' Business Centre on the second floor (all the way left from the escalators going up). The State Courts are at 1 Havelock Square (Singapore 059724), near Chinatown MRT.

Find out more:

Legal guidance and representation:

  • Legal Aid: check what legal aid you can apply for here (Note: legal aid is for individuals unable to afford a lawyer, and the application process will likely involve means-testing).
  • Find a Lawyer: If you do not qualify for legal aid, you may find a lawyer using the following directories: