From public rental housing to hotel: The Ho couple's unfolding drama

The "Mr. Ho and Mrs. Ho" case recently attracted significant public attention.

It has been confirmed that Mr. Ho has lived in Mrs. Ho's public rental housing (PRH) unit without registration. Hong Kong Housing Authority sent a letter last Friday requesting Mr. Ho to vacate the premises, or they would issue a formal eviction notice.

Mrs. Ho recently stated in a livestream that she had moved out of their unit and was now staying in a hotel with Mr. Ho, who was left homeless, claiming they were being "persecuted" by the Housing Authority.

On the 12th, the online platform reported that the couple was spotted at a hotel in Tin Shui Wai. CCTV footage showed them returning to Mrs. Ho's PRH building accompanied by officers. That evening, Mrs. Ho live-streamed from another hotel, stating that they had originally stayed at a hotel in Tin Shui Wai but were kicked out after "haters" complained about them.

In the livestream, Mrs. Ho claimed that the Housing Authority was "persecuting" them, saying, "Since that day, my husband has not been living there anymore. Why are you still sending letters to pressure me? What does that mean? Do you want to harm me or what?" Mr. Ho added, "I demand to negotiate with the director! Allowing subordinates to bully citizens! Waving a chicken feather as a token of authority!"

Mrs. Ho emphasized that since Friday, Mr. Ho has not been living in the PRH unit but would return to cook, do laundry, and pack their belongings, all of which is supported by CCTV evidence. She insisted they had not violated any regulations but were still targeted by Housing Authority staff. She urged the Housing Secretary to address the issue: "Housing Secretary, listen up! Your two subordinates have already heard us; we received the letter and followed through. My husband has moved out immediately..."

Misfortunes never come singly; Mr. Ho also expressed that their haters couldn't withstand their love for each other, lamenting that they had spent thousands on hotel stays in just a few days, being complained about and kicked out. He questioned, "Is this how society should be?"

However, in front of the camera, Mrs. Ho suddenly scolded Mr. Ho, accusing him of revealing their hotel address, which alerted the "haters." Yet, she later disclosed that they were now staying in a hotel owned by Li Ka-Shing: "I specifically chose a hotel invested in by Hong Kong's richest person! I refuse to believe no one is orchestrating these outrageous acts against us!" Mrs. Ho also comforted herself, treating their hotel stay as a "honeymoon" with Mr. Ho.

Mrs. Ho and Mr. Ho conducted another livestream yesterday (the 13th). Mrs. Ho openly stated that Mr. Ho could not be added to her public rental housing lease, as that would mean telling him not to pursue the 4.5 million from his children. She also responded that if they could not find accommodation in Hong Kong in the future, they would return to the mainland to live while setting aside some time each day to livestream from Hong Kong and handle matters related to the PRH unit.

However, Mrs. Ho had previously declared in her livestreams that "the Housing Authority has no evidence and is incapable of taking our home" and challenged, "If you have the ability, come and take it!"

The Housing Authority stated that they had repeatedly reminded tenants that if non-registered family members were to live in PRH units, they must complete the registration process promptly; otherwise, actions would be taken based on the tenancy agreement. They had sent a letter regarding this requirement but had not received any application for registration from the tenants.

The Housing Authority pointed out that if tenants continued to allow unauthorized individuals to reside in PRH units, violating the tenancy agreement, the Housing Authority would consider issuing an "eviction notice" to terminate the lease. According to the lease agreement between the Housing Authority and the tenants, PRH units are only used by the tenant and family members listed on the lease. Under current policy, the head of the household can apply to include their spouse in the household registration.

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