Clear contracts key to avoiding home renovation nightmares, Hong Kong consumer watchdog warns

Hong Kong’s consumer watchdog has warned homeowners and contractors to set clear terms for handling defects and payment to avoid costly disputes, as it revealed a handful of renovation-related horror stories ranging from shoddy work to alleged toilet sabotage.

There were 124 complaints about home renovation works in the first 11 months of the year, down 16 per cent from 148 in the same period in 2019, but still a fairly high figure, the Consumer Council said on Tuesday.

Victor Lui Wing-cheong, vice-chairman of the council’s research and testing committee, stressed that consumers should reach a consensus with renovation companies in advance when it came to arrangements for fixing defects and mistakes.

“Should there be any variations, incompletion of work items or extra charges incurred due to materials or other reasons encountered during the renovation, both parties should confirm the changes in written form, and if the project is getting close to completion, a defective works rectification checklist should be jointly prepared to avoid subsequent disputes,” Lui said.

In one of the anonymous complaints filed to the watchdog, installation workers were suspected of undoing some of the renovation work after a payment dispute with the client.

In February, the company gave the client a quote of about HK$210,000 (US$27,090) to renovate their whole flat over a 60-day period.