Hong Kong subdivided flat tenants urged to complain against landlords who overcharge for utilities
- Task force chairman William Leung says overcharging for water and electricity is one of the most common problems in Hong Kong
- Fan Kai-in, community organiser at Hong Kong Subdivided Flats Concerning Platform, urges authorities to simplify procedures to lodge complaints
The head of a government-appointed study group looking to limit rents in Hong Kong’s subdivided flats has urged residents to lodge complaints against landlords who are overcharging for water and electricity.
Rents for the city’s subdivided flats have not dropped, even as the coronavirus pandemic continues to drag the economy deep into recession, said Dr William Leung Wing-cheung, chairman of the task force for the study on tenancy control of subdivided units.
But he said the task force had no enforcement powers and encouraged residents to use existing legislation to clamp down on landlords overcharging for utilities.
“Such overcharging is one of the most common problems we hear from concern groups … This is not only exploitation, but is also illegal,” he told a press conference on Wednesday.
“People who are affected will need to stand up and make the complaints. And if the electricity company or the water authority receives [the] complaints, I think they will do the proper thing.”