SINGAPORE: A woman posted on social media that she intended to “legally break relationships with her parents” because of her declining mental health. She also asked others if they knew any ways to do this.
“Do I need to engage with a lawyer? How is the process like? How much is the fee?” she asked on r/askSingapore on Sunday (Jan 28).
She added in the post that this was not an impulsive decision and did not want to divulge any more information regarding the problems in their relationship. She also asked the Reddit community if anyone knew a decent place to stay.
“Any place I can stay (like sleep on the street, tried before but good spot is hard to find and rats everywhere) after I break relationship with my parents? Thanks for your help,” she wrote.
‘No legalities, just move away and break contact’
In the comments section, concerned Redditors offered her support and advice, telling her to simply move away from her parents and cut off communication.
One wrote, “No legal thing to involved. Just move out and cut off contact lor.”
While another commented, “Just move out, or better yet, move overseas. Focus on building your life.”
Another user gave the post author comprehensive instructions on handling the situation. He stated that there were no legalities except for the Maintenance of Parents Act (MPA).
He informed her that she could apply for a maintenance order at the Tribunal for Maintenance of Parents (TMP) and provide evidence of her parents’ abuse, neglect, or abandonment to avoid having to pay maintenance for his parents.
Furthermore, he also provided her with multiple options as to where she could stay:
- HDB low-income housing: https://www.hdb.gov.sg/residential/renting-a-flat/renting-from-hdb/public-rental-scheme
- Homeless shelters: https://singapore.graceslist.org/directory/categories/homeless-shelters
- Co-living spaces: https://coliwoo.com/blog_post/why-i-moved-out-of-my-parents-home-and-what-ive-learnt-so-far/
- Move out/rental: https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20220622-the-young-singaporeans-striking-out-on-their-own
Maintenance of Parents Act (MPA)
In Singapore, the MPA provides elderly or in-need parents (60 years of age and up) with a legal avenue to ask their children for maintenance if they cannot provide for themselves.
Individuals under 60 years old are also eligible to apply if they have a special need for maintenance or suffer from an infirmity of mind or body (such as a physical or mental illness) that makes it difficult for them to maintain themselves.
During the approval process, the financial needs, disabilities, earning capacity, and spending habits of the parents will be reviewed.
Likewise, an examination of the child’s earnings, the costs he has incurred to support his spouse and/or children, and the contributions and provisions he has made for the parent’s maintenance will be examined.
If the child files for a maintenance order and can demonstrate that they were not raised properly, the Tribunal may also reject such an application.
In addition, an application may also be denied if it is found to be “frivolous or vexatious,” meaning that there are insufficient grounds for considering it or that the application was made solely to cause distress to the child, as stated under Section 14(7)(a) of the MPA.