At an upscale condo, residents enjoyed the peace and tranquillity that the condo offered.
Then a unit on the fifth floor began renovation. Jack hammers shattered the peace and drills echoed through the walls.
Residents found themselves bombarded with noise from morning till evening.
By the second day, a line of angry residents had formed outside the management office of the condo.
Tom, a young and newly appointed condo manager listened attentively as complaints poured in.
The elderly residents lamented disrupted naps.
Parents worried about their children’s preparation for examinations.
And some working adults decried their inability to focus during virtual meetings.
Tom approached the unit under renovation and spoke with the contractor.
However, the contractor waved him off, insisting they were within the permissible renovation hours.
Feeling cornered, Tom issued a formal notice to limit the noise during peak resting hours but enforcement proved tricky.
Some residents threatened to escalate the matter to the Condo Committee to remove Tom.
To complicate matters, Tom learned that the owner of the unit undergoing renovation wanted the renovation completed by a timeline because of certain religious belief.
Balancing diplomacy and enforcement felt like walking a tightrope.
That evening, Tom vented his frustrations to his boss, Mr. Tan, a seasoned condo management veteran.
Mr. Tan quickly grasped the gravity of the situation and decided to step in.
The next morning, Mr. Tan accompanied Tom to a meeting with the contractor and the unit owner.
With calm, Mr. Tan proposed a compromise: the contractor could work on noisier tasks during mid-morning and early afternoon hours while quieter tasks would be scheduled during early mornings and late afternoons.
The unit owner agreed to having his contractor bringing in additional workers to help complete the major noisy work within the next three days.
Noise levels were noticeably reduced during rest hours.
Residents while not thrilled, appreciated the effort.
Noise is one of the major complaints in condo living.
Most, if not all residents want a quiet place for the peaceful enjoyment of their time. How can you be a good neighbour?
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I am Teo Poh Siang, founder of Wisely 98 Pte Ltd, an industry leader and a sought-after trainer in condo management with 40 years of real-life experience.
I am the Author of “A Practical Guide to Strata Management in Singapore”, the first and only practitioner’s guidebook for condo managers in Singapore. I am also the President of the Association of Strata Managers, a national association representing condo managers in Singapore.
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