Today marks the end of a legal tangle over a property lease for mainland student Zhang Mengtao.
'I am just relieved that it is finally over,' said Zhang, who made the mistake of subletting her rented flat without letting her landlord or agents know - a pitfall into which many mainland students have evidently fallen as they seek to save additional charges for amending leases.
Zhang, 23, from Beijing, gained admission to study at Hong Kong Baptist University in May last year and came to Hong Kong in late July to seek accommodation. She finally found a flat in Tai Wo through a property agency and paid one month's rent as commission and a deposit of two months' rent.
After signing the contract, she went back to Beijing and found two roommates on Gter.Net, a website used by mainland students to exchange information related to university applications, language tests, and finding flats. After they all arrived in Hong Kong, Zhang asked if another girl's name could be added to the tenancy agreement, as she thought 'it would be better for two people to share the responsibility'.
The request was granted.
After nine months of study, Zhang got an internship with a local newspaper in Shau Kei Wan, more than 30 kilometres from where she was then living. So she decided to move, and through the same website she found a girl who would live in her room for the remaining three months of the lease.