Tenant of Hong Kong’s only private low-rent housing estate challenges eviction tactics
85-year-old applicant takes housing corporation to court for failing to ensure resettlement of residents before redeveloping neighbourhood
The 85-year-old applicant, who has lived most of her life at the Shek Kip Mei housing compound, received pro bono legal help from Ho Tse Wai & Partners after the landlord came under increased media scrutiny over what a court official called “oppressive” conduct.
The High Court writ, seen by the Post on Tuesday, said the non-profit corporation, in exchange for the authorities endorsing its redevelopment plan to provide 2,000 flats to first-time homebuyers, had promised to offer temporary accommodation to affected residents and make room for the return of its existing 1,300 tenants without a need for means testing.
That position took a “sharp volte-face” in June last year, the writ said, with the corporation announcing that relocation would only be available for tenants passing an income and asset threshold.
Those deemed ineligible, such as families who owned residential properties, would be offered a lump sum to leave. There was no guarantee that sum would be sufficient to enable those affected to find alternative housing during the five-year redevelopment period.
