An elderly couple who had given their apartment to their son in Singapore was headed to mediation to resolve their eviction. Following their generous gift, their son drove them out of the apartment, claiming he needed space for his baby and “the confinement lady.”

The parents claimed that their son would not even allow them to sleep in the hallway outside of the apartment. According to Singapore’s Ministry of National Development Minister Lawrence Wong, the couple now has numerous options to remedy the dispute.

The owner of the building was approached by the couple during one of the weekly “Meet the People Sessions” concerning the issue. After hearing the story of the couple, she told them to file a maintenance order requesting financial support from their son.

The couple asked the Ministry of National Development if they had dealt with any similar cases concerning elderly parents and their children kicking them out of their own homes. The couple were told that there are remedies available in such cases, even though there is no official record of how many times similar situations have happened in the past. They were then encouraged to try mediation and contact the Family Services Centers or the Office of the Commissioner for the Maintenance of Parents for assistance arranging the mediation.

There is a 90 percent success rate in Singapore for cases involving families reaching a settlement through mediation and most people consider it the best and least painful option if both parties are willing participants.

Should mediation fail for the couple, their next option would be to submit an application for maintenance to the Tribunal for the Maintenance of Parents, a legal channel for parents requesting financial assistance from their children.