Yip Chi-shing and his wife were supposed to move into their newly purchased apartment in Tseung Kwan O at the end of June. Ten days before they were due to move, a letter from the MTR Corporation's lawyers arrived, telling them they would have to wait another month to move in, owing to 'inclement weather'.
Their new moving date, July 30, has come and gone. Today they are living in limbo, with no idea when they will be able to live in the home for which they paid more than HK$4 million.
While waiting to find out, they are making a HK$10,000 mortgage payment for their new flat and paying HK$5,000 rent for their old one each month.
The Yips are one of more than 1,400 households in the same situation, having all bought properties at Le Prestige, the second phase of a development at LOHAS Park. It is a joint project of Cheung Kong (Holdings), the MTR Corporation and Nan Fung Development.
Yesterday, Sai Kung district councillor Christine Fong Kwok-shan, who has received over 200 complaints regarding the issue, led 10 of the residents to the Consumer Council to voice their dissatisfaction. Yip and his wife asked how bad weather had slowed the project, and how the time frame for the delay had been calculated.
'They don't have any further explanation,' Yip said.
