A 63-year-old private hire vehicle driver claimed he was forced to sleep in his car every night as his neighbour allegedly knocked on his living room and bedroom wall day and night for two years.
What proof does he have? A gaping 8cm hole in his wall, which he used tissue to plug.
Image via Shin Min Daily News
He said he also lost 6kg due to the "mental torture" over the two years.
Neighbour moved in 2 years ago
The man, surnamed Xu (transliteration from Mandarin), told Shin Min Daily News that he lives in Block 44 Beo Crescent near Tiong Bahru.
Image via Google Maps
Xu said his neighbour first started knocking on the wall with his hands.
However, a week later, his neighbour switched to slamming the wall with a tool which sounded like a hammer.
"He would knock in the day. Knock in the middle of the night. And of all places, he chose the wall between our bedroom and the living room," Xu added.
He said the knocking sounds would sometimes appear out of the blue, frightening him and his wife as they were very loud.
Xu & wife overwhelmed by emotional stress
Xu said he tried to confront the neighbour but as the neighbour is a "very fierce" person, he chose to try and tolerate his behaviour instead.
Over the last two years, Xu said the emotional stress has caused him to suffer from anxiety and lose 6kg of weight.
"As I couldn't sleep at night, my driving during the daytime was also affected," said Xu.
He also revealed that his wife had mild depression in 2016, and ever since the knocking, she became less willing to speak, meet people, and leave the flat.
Xu said it was heartbreaking to see his wife hide in a corner with earphones on to escape the knocking as she was "very afraid".
Knocking didn't stop
The last straw for the couple was when Xu's heart literally couldn't take it anymore.
That was on Oct. 16, 2023, when their neighbour knocked on the wall heavily for four hours.
Xu took an ambulance to the hospital because his heart wasn't feeling well.
They then decided not to stay in their flat anymore.
Since then, Xu has slept in his car every night while his wife stays with her siblings.
Couple found a hole in the wall & urine in flat
On one occasion, Xu's wife found an 8cm-sized hole in their living room wall when she returned to their home to retrieve some items.
A significant amount of wall plaster was also scattered across the floor.
Xu also added that he found urine in his living room when he returned home with a police officer for investigation on Dec. 9.
He theorised that his neighbour had poured urine into his flat from their window.
Neighbour spits at Shin Min reporter
When a Shin Min reporter visited the HDB block on Dec. 12 and greeted Xu's neighbour from the door, the man who looked to be in his 30s or 40s shouted at her:" Is there a problem?"
He then opened the door and allegedly attempted to spit at her.
The spit landed on the floor in front of her. She said it was disgusting.
When the reporter headed to Xu's flat, she saw "yellow liquid" on the floor, which she described as "pungent".
Image via Shin Min Daily News
Called police 30 times and tried summoning him to court
Xu said he had asked for help from the Housing and Development Board (HDB) and even called the police on his neighbour at least 30 times over the last two years.
However, the HDB and police officers couldn't do anything as he never opened his door for them.
Xu then applied for mediation through the courts, but his neighbour refused to show up.
For now, Xu said he only hoped the authorities could arrange another rental flat for him and his wife so that they could stop living like homeless people.
"We have been 'homeless' for two months. We want to have a home," pleaded Xu.
Top images via Shin Min Daily News