Clementi man howls nightly for a year, neighbor soundproofs home
Residents of a Clementi HDB complained about a man who has been howling late at night for nearly a year, disrupting everyone’s rest.
47-year-old make up artist Mr Huang, a resident of the estate, told Shin Min Daily News (SMDN) that he has been living at Block 731, Clementi West Street 2, for 47 years.
However, for the past two to three years, he felt like he had been subjected to harassment by the neighbour downstairs.
Mr Huang said it started at the beginning of the pandemic. “I have often heard coughing, shouting and other noises coming from downstairs.”
Recently, he has heard sounds that imitate the howling of dogs. “Sometimes, the person yells in the middle of the night, preventing us from resting,” he added.
According to a recording provided by Mr Huang, a man could be clearly heard howling continuously for five minutes.
Resident sleeps in living room as Clementi man howls at night
Mr Huang’s mother, 80-year-old retiree Mdm Zhu, revealed that she was the most affected as she sleeps in the master bedroom. Hence, she has resorted to sleeping in the living room.
“Sometimes I hear him shouting at 2am, and I can’t fall asleep again after being woken up,” Madam Zhu shared.
She said that while it is slightly better to sleep in the living room, it still affects the quality of rest and her health.
Neighbour spends nearly S$2,000 on soundproofing
When the SMDN reporter visited, all the residents on the 10th floor said they were deeply troubled by the noise.
Another resident, Ms Primanti (name transliterated), a 39-year-old domestic helper, said she often hears strange noises in the afternoons and evenings too.
A resident who didn’t want to be named said that the noise had been going on for nearly a year. She couldn’t stand it and spent nearly S$2,000 to install soundproofing on her windows.
She also bought thick curtains, which were not very effective as she could still hear the noises.
Other residents also said that the noise seriously affected their rest.
“My daughter goes to secondary school and needs to get up early. This noise makes it hard to focus when she goes to school the next day.”
Person responsible is allegedly a middle-aged man
Residents revealed that the person making the noise is a middle-aged man, who may have health or mental issues.
Mr Huang also said that a neighbour once spoke to the middle-aged man’s mother, but she said that her son was unwilling to see a doctor.
He has reported the issue to the authorities, but there has been no progress thus far.
SMDN reported that a reporter tried to visit the unit responsible for the noise multiple times, but no one answered the door.
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Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News & Prostock-studio on Canva for illustration purposes only.