Hong Kong’s old buildings are crumbling, but flat owners balk at repair fees, prompting calls for government action on ‘ticking time bombs’
- Spike of recent incidents when pieces of concrete fell off buildings signals urgency for checks, repairs
- Experts call for better enforcement as 2,700 buildings fail to do mandatory inspections by deadline, with one issued order almost a decade ago
Peter Leung* owns a flat in one of Hong Kong’s oldest areas in Eastern district, and is worried about a spike of incidents over the past two months when pieces of concrete fell off buildings.
There are large exposed patches at its covered entrance, exposing rusted steel bars. The lack of care is plain to see in the public staircase going up the five-storey building – it is dusty, with paint peeling off the walls.
The 70-year-old block with 20 flats is one of Hong Kong’s “three-nil buildings” – it does not have a property maintenance company, owners’ corporation or residents’ organisation to carry out a mandatory inspection order issued to it almost a decade ago.
A retiree who bought the flat as an investment and to rent out for income, Leung said he tried to form an owners’ corporation to deal with the repairs and called a meeting, but no one showed up.
Only about a quarter of the flats still belonged to individual owners.
“Many original owners have sold to developers and property acquisition companies who want to redevelop the block and do not care about repairs,” Leung said.
“I feel it is unfair. The government can ensure that the repairs are done and collect fees from all the owners.”