Flat owners are calling for more protective measures to help them after a tenant was found to owe more than four years' rent.
Chan Yin-kwan sat in her damaged flat in North Point yesterday. Her tenant has not paid rent since December 2003 - 52 months ago. His arrears are nearly HK$200,000. Even though a court ruling has sided with her, she has no hope of retrieving the money.
Ms Chan, a single mother, bought the flat, measuring about 1,200 sq ft, in 1999 and rented it to a Mr Wong for HK$3,800 a month in April 2003.
Ms Chan said Mr Wong began refusing to pay eight months later.
'When I chased him for the rent, he declared he had never paid rent for 20 years. He said I must pay him back for his loss if I wanted him to move out,' Ms Chan said.
She has hired two law firms to sue Mr Wong for the outstanding rent. The case went to the District Court, but the tenant did not show up because of illness.
Ms Chan said she could not afford the solicitors' fees, so she applied to the Lands Tribunal in 2006.