How to get out of a neighbour dispute when you feel trapped | Deep Dive

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0 January 28, 2026 22:30

Living in a high-density society like Singapore makes friction with neighbours almost unavoidable. But with more than 90,000 noise complaints reported in the past three years, it raises the question: Are we becoming bad neighbours or are we less tolerant now? What can we do when misunderstandings and inconveniences turn into disputes that require mediation or legal action?

Steven Chia and Tiffany Ang sit down with mediator and lecturer at the Singapore University of Social Sciences Melvin Loh and research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies Nicholas Thomas.

Highlights:
01:53 Most memorable disputes
03:40 How important is communication?
06:05 Positive feelings towards neighbours have dropped
08:08 How to approach a neighbour when there’s an issue
11:22 What happens during a mediation
13:06 What happens if the neighbour doesn’t want to come for mediation?
18:50 What if the other party has mental health issues?
21:32 Orientating new neighbours
22:06 Should the government step in or should we step up?
24:53 Different people have different tolerance levels

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