Despite all the rules and regulations that Housing Board residents must follow, these rules do not seem to offer adequate protection from irresponsible or unreasonable neighbours.

For example, I have a nightmarish neighbour who lives above me. Every weekend, I can hear the children in that apartment running around for almost the entire day. On weekdays, someone there also plays the guitar loudly during the stipulated hours.

While none of these actions violate HDB rules, they do impact our daily lives negatively.

They affect my elderly parents even more as they could really use some quiet time. This has been hard to come by ever since that neighbour moved in.

We have exhausted all means, from reasoning with them to calling up the town council and the HDB.

Nothing has worked. The standard reply from the authorities is, "they did not violate any rule, there is nothing we can do".

I do agree that, by and large, they do not violate any rules, but does that make them good and responsible neighbours? I think not, and residents like my family, who would spare a thought for our neighbours before engaging in any noisy activity, are made to suffer.

I do not understand why the good guys in this picture have to be subjected to such daily abuse. I sincerely hope the HDB is given more power to resolve these issues.

Zhuo Mingde