Wang Fuk Court administrator outlines HK$127 million refund for displaced owners

The administrator of Wang Fuk Court has detailed plans to refund HK$127 million to owners displaced by a major fire, following the payment of HK$180 million toward a renovation project.

Wang Fuk Court’s administrator disclosed the figures during a Zoom meeting on Tuesday. Hop On Management Company, appointed by the government in January, organized the session for residents of the Tai Po estate.

The company has taken over from ISS EastPoint and completed the handover of 890,000 digital files along with 66 boxes of documents. These records cover payments for the HK$336 million renovation project.

More than 240 owners had petitioned for the meetings in late April. A second session is scheduled for May 20. Frankie Chan, service director at Hop On, said the exact amount each household will receive will be calculated after further document processing.

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Photorealistic image of Wang Fuk Court fire victims receiving extended rental aid from Hong Kong officials amid rehousing doubts.
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Hong Kong extends rental aid for Wang Fuk Court fire victims amid rehousing doubts

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Victims of Hong Kong's deadly Wang Fuk Court fire will keep receiving HK$150,000 annual rental subsidies until rehoused—even if it takes 2½ years—Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong Wai-lun confirmed, as the HK$6.8 billion buyback plan faces concerns over flat allocation fairness.

More than 240 owners at Hong Kong's fire-ravaged Wang Fuk Court petitioned the government-appointed administrator Hop On Management Company in late April for an extraordinary general meeting. They warned of legal action at the Lands Tribunal if it is not held within 45 days, as required by the Building Management Ordinance. The petition, signed by 247 owners or 12.45% of units, exceeds the 5% threshold.

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Hong Kong authorities have offered to buy back flats destroyed in the Wang Fuk Court blaze at HK$8,000 or HK$10,500 per square foot, but some residents expressed disappointment over the lack of on-site redevelopment. Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong Wai-lun announced the plan, which will cost HK$6.8 billion and rule out rebuilding at the original site. The November fire killed 168 people and displaced about 5,000 residents.

Hong Kong's independent committee inquiring into the deadly Wang Fuk Court fire—the city's worst since 1948—heard that government surveyors followed outdated guidelines during renovations, forgoing in-person checks and overlooking risks like illegal alterations to emergency passages in the HK$336 million project.

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The independent committee probing the deadly Wang Fuk Court fire in Tai Po held its first evidential session, uncovering six human factors behind the near-total failure of fire safety measures. Leading counsel Victor Dawes SC highlighted denials of responsibility by the Labour Department, Fire Services Department, and Housing Bureau's Independent Checking Unit for the HK$336 million project. Details also emerged on the death of firefighter Ho Wai-ho amid the November inferno that killed 168.

Firefighters battling Hong Kong’s deadliest inferno in decades prioritized controlling the blaze over evacuating residents due to its unprecedented scale, a public inquiry has heard. Four Fire Services Department officers testified on Monday about the initial stages of the 43-hour fire that ravaged Wang Fuk Court in November. Commander Raymond Wong King-man stated, “If you cannot put out the fire, how can you save those trapped inside?”

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A Hong Kong fire official defended declining mainland Chinese firefighters' help during a public hearing into the city's deadliest blaze in decades. Deputy Chief Fire Officer Sunny Wong Sze-lut cited incompatibility and sufficient local manpower. Chief Executive John Lee vowed reforms to improve public safety.

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