The HKSAR Government announced last Saturday (Feb. 21) a long-term resettlement arrangement for owners of Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, which does not include Wang Chi House, a block not directly affected by the fire. When asked yesterday (Feb. 23) about the possibility of Wang Chi House residents returning to their homes, Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs (HYAB) Alice Mak stressed that three urgent issues must be addressed first: inspecting the operational status of public facilities after the fire, repairing various building equipment, including fire services and doors and windows, and resolving deed-related matters. Mak emphasized that conservatively estimating, it will take at least three to four months before residents may have the opportunity to return to Wang Chi House.
"Because this involves residential use, we must comply with legal requirements for building management, including purchasing public liability insurance and ensuring proper maintenance of public facilities," Mak explained. The priority is assessing the operational status of public facilities after the fire. "A building, an estate requires water, electricity, and Wang Fuk Court uses a central gas supply, with pipelines running underground and possibly passing through the seven affected blocks." Therefore, the first step is allowing the estate's management body, joint alliance, together with relevant government departments, to inspect these facilities for necessary repairs to ensure safety.
Expired contracts require new service providers
Regarding building equipment, Mak noted that fire services equipment is currently non-operational, some windows had been removed earlier, and doors were removed during fire rescue operations — all requiring replacement. "To restart elevators, qualified elevator maintenance companies are needed, but the original fire equipment contracts, elevator maintenance contracts, and security service contracts have already expired," necessitating new service providers.
The third aspect involves deed-related issues. The current Deed of Mutual Covenant for Wang Fuk Court covers all eight blocks. If only Wang Chi House remains as a single block, residents would need to bear daily maintenance costs, but the existing DMC cannot address expenses for a single block. "Water, electricity, and gas pipelines run from the estate area into private pipes. If only one block remains with a new government lease, these pipelines — both public and private — may need redesigning or even relaying."
She specifically mentioned that if a single block becomes an independent estate, it requires its own DMC. "As everyone knows, Hong Kong's DMCs require signatures from all owners of that property. So what happens then? This is a very complex legal issue."
Mak noted that Hong Kong has no precedent to reference, and conservatively estimates it will take at least three to four months before Wang Chi House residents can return. The Bureau must also ensure purchase of public liability insurance, including elevator maintenance and fire equipment maintenance, and find contractors willing to provide insured services and maintenance tasks she admitted are challenging.
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