THE business of void deck funerals is a peculiar one, at least for those new to Singapore.
Malaysian-born Singaporean Frankie Chiuh, 50, remembers what it was like, witnessing his first such funeral beneath his apartment block 17 years ago.
“I felt uneasy as it was just below our homes. In Malaysia, you usually hold funerals in parlours, or - if you live in a house - in your compound.”
But like any other Singaporean, he has grown used to the idea that the free space beneath apartment blocks here can accommodate a whole range of activities, funeral rites being just one of them.
Familiarity though, does not take away the friction that can occur when neighbours compete to use void decks, or insist that one party has no right to it.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong most recently related how a Chinese family was adamant about holding a funeral at a void deck when a Malay family had already booked the place for a wedding.
Funeral director Ang Ziqian, 28, has his own story to tell. One particular void deck funeral attracted a visit from the police every two hours, because a family living nearby kept complaining it was too noisy.
Each time, the police went away after ascertaining that that was not so.
Later, the puzzle was solved: A child from the family had fallen ill after accidentally kicking over an oil lamp placed on the floor during the previous void deck funeral. This made the family very wary of such events.
But this is an extreme case, says Mr Ang, who runs Ang Chin Moh Casket, one of Singapore’s oldest funeral planning companies.
“Most of time, if neighbour A holds a wake, neighbour B, C, and D will attend the wake.”
Besides, he says, funeral directors work according to a set of unwritten rules.
The first is simple - all religious services at the wake end by 11pm.
Next, if they are unsure if the void deck has been booked for some other activity, they will choose another venue if they see that furniture has been placed there in preparation for a wedding.
If two wakes are held at the same location, funeral directors will stagger the time each procession leaves, to reduce congestion.
The problem arises mostly on weekends, when town councils are closed and the deceased’s family has no way of checking if void decks have been booked for any event.
Currently, the family simply goes ahead with the funeral and only pays for the use of the void deck on the next working day. This practice, though, leaves a lot to chance and opens the door to disputes.
Mr Ang suggests that town councils put void deck bookings online, so that residents can do the check themselves even if the town council is closed. To help residents who are not web savvy, it can also make known the telephone number of the estates officer in charge of each batch of flats.
Yet technology can only help so much. People have to play their part.
How disputes are resolved, he says, still boils down to the attitude of each resident involved.
Read the Saturday Special report here.