Wang Fuk Court fire survivors begin choosing replacement subsidised homes
Residents displaced by Hong Kong’s deadly Wang Fuk Court fire have started selecting replacement flats under a government buy-back and flat-for-flat scheme. Some face higher costs because replacement homes are smaller or more expensive, and residents have asked authorities to waive stamp duty as they rebuild their lives.
Residents who lost their homes in Hong Kong’s deadly Wang Fuk Court fire began choosing replacement flats on Tuesday under a government scheme intended to help them rebuild. The authorities have introduced a HK$7.8 billion buy-back plan for flats in the eight-block subsidised housing estate. Participants can use compensation to buy homes on the private market or join a special exercise for new subsidised housing under a flat-for-flat arrangement.
The first 35 households to sign letters of acceptance by June 30 received priority when choosing from 4,400 flats in 10 estates. The developments are in areas including Kowloon Bay, Kai Tak, Tseung Kwan O, Kwun Tong and Fanling, with some already completed and others expected in 2027 and 2028. A resident surnamed Lee, in his seventies, was the first to select a home.
He chose a 420-square-foot flat at Kai Yeung Court in Kai Tak, 40 square feet smaller than his former home, and said he would have to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars more. Another resident, Cheung, selected a 515-square-foot flat at Hemma Sapphire in Kwun Tong, compared with his previous 447-square-foot home. He estimated that the additional cost could be at least HK$1 million and said stamp duty would add to the burden.
Tam, 79, chose a home at Sierra Terrace in Fanling because her tenancy in Tai Po was due to end. She and her 87-year-old husband expected to use their savings to pay about HK$400,000 for the replacement and roughly HK$2,500 a month. Residents have asked for stamp-duty waivers.
Housing Secretary Winnie Ho Wing-yin said other applicants would be invited to join a random selection process over the next two months. The fire displaced nearly 5,000 people and killed 168.
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