Top 10 struggles as a new homeowner in Singapore — Part 2

5 min readSep 21, 2023

Speaking to other home owners, the more few things that they usually would talk about:

6. Establishing good relationship with your neighbors

Though most of the units are still undergoing renovations, I believe that most of us would want to establish a good relationships with our neighbors, especially when everyone of us comes from different walks of life where tapping on each other’s experiences can be valuable.

While there were many news covering on disputes between neighbors, I believe that this is only possible if any of the parties are not being considerate, especially living in a compact co-living space under the same block.

We wouldn’t want to take things for granted, knowing that you can never have “good” neighbors if you are not one yourself. Though I used to have neighbors who aren’t too considerate, having to start on the right note is a good omen, in which you invite good spirits and vibes to your new humble abode.

7. Understanding the HDB rules and regulations

This is something new to me but it is important to understand the rules and regulations from the housing board as this can determine your lifestyle as well.

For instance, if you are thinking of having a pet, we have to adhere to certain requirements stated on the official website before anticipating any complains from your neighboring units.

Handling food waste can be a big part of daily routine as you have to bring it to the rubbish chute that is located at the central location of your floor. It can attract pests easily if left overnight, which resulted in many manifestation of rats and cockroaches at the void decks. Though this can be easily avoided, it only takes one household to create the mess where it is pretty much unavoidable.

With the ongoing recycling movements, we could use more recycling bins that are located around the neighborhood, which it seemingly been misused by many that mistook it as dumping grounds.

While I couldn’t lie that it might take more effort for me to recycle (washing of plastic bottles/ metals cans after use just for recycling), it should be a standard for us to adhere if we are seriously considering to make our environment a better one.

Not just for the betterment of our living environment, which our chutes are constantly choked with recyclable wastes, it helps to retain less food wastes that are stuck in it, which might attract more pests.

8. Not being used to doing things yourself (without guidance)

Having your own space means that you have many more things to manage even without any guidance or supervision. Without knowing the rules of engagement, it is all about figuring things out at your own discretion, and messing things up can be a common sight.

Though it can be tough at times, but it helps you to understand what you really want to invite and bring into your new curated space. You do not want to do things you do not wish to for the sake of aesthetics, and comfortable living shouldn’t be a hassle.

For instance, you might want to avoid installing complicated lightings because you may not have the expertise to repair/fix it when faulty. And these can save you many man hours and countless arguments.

However, with the freedom to design your place, it can be a time for you to explore something more about yourself when you have a little time to spare.

Perhaps, learning to cook a plate of carbonara can go a long way when you are hosting your high school friends over your place. Gardening sounds cool, but learning to brew a perfect batch of coffee is definitely a more preferred choice that is up your alley.

9. Planning your time well — having your own home can be time consuming as well

With a relative busy work schedule on a daily basis, it is important to pack some time away for you to maintain your new home. As some chores can be time-consuming, it may take a large chunk of your “me” time when you are dead beat from a long day of work.

This may eventually leads to arguments between your partner when one decides to forego their part, or not being cooperative in upkeeping the messy apartment.

While getting a mutual understanding between you and your partner goes a long way, setting a weekly duty roster to allocate time for major house chores such as cleaning of washrooms, mopping the floor, and changing of bedsheets (eventually washing them = more laundry piles) seems more tangible and viable.

10. Being a thoughtful partner (co-owner) to your partner — shared responsibility

This may be new to many who are finally co-sharing a space with your beloved half after XX number of years, settling down and shifting into their new space to start afresh.

As managing one another’s emotions can be challenging, having an additional responsibility of managing a space together might also be a deliberating and complicated process where the boundaries are often blurred.

It is exactly blurred because the lines are often shifted by the party who is busier or more packed with their commitments and making their home the least priority.

While having a thoughtful partner is a bonus, the need to be thoughtful should be in the house rules where both parties must be understanding with each other to work things out under scrutiny.

If one party decides to contribute lesser (in terms of house chores, paying of groceries or utility bills), reconciling the numbers can be one of the ways to do so to balance their load.

Bonus: Purpose of living together

Your home is a temple of happiness, not for crazy arguments over some precious quality time with your partner. This is of course the biggest point out of all because we did knew of some divorces that were due to massive conflicts arising from co-living.

As it is easy to assume that most married couples live happily together, it might be difficult when they don’t handle their difference in a calibrated manner. Living together can both be a blessing and a struggle if the couple chose to prioritize their well-being over the uncomfortable, tiny knick knacks.

Considering that it would take a while for you to have a place of your own, plan ahead and be prepared to solve problems with your partner. Having a place of your own should be a two-person affairs, and if you are worrying about the upkeeping of the place, keep it simple and clutter-free by prioritizing your needs.

P/S: If you like this post, please feel free to leave some claps below and follow his medium account at Yin Kai Law (Vince) for more exciting updates! Appreciate your support by buying me a coffee with buymeacoffee.

About The Author:

Vince Law is a former Accountancy graduate from Singapore Management University, who recently transitioned from being an auditor from one of the Big 4 accounting firms to becoming a software engineer, focusing on payments and investments in the banking industry.

He also works as a freelance writer who loves challenging mainstream views on current affairs and is a strong advocate of mental health and personal development.

For business queries, please feel free to reach out to me at lawyinkai@gmail.com.