‘Cunning’ Hong Kong landlords of subdivided flats accused of raising rents before control law kicks in on Saturday
- The Post also finds that some estate agents appear to not be well-versed in new legislation
- To address exorbitant rent rises, the new law will forbid landlords to raise rent in the first two years of a new tenancy for homes to some of the city’s poorest residents
Landlords of subdivided flats in Hong Kong have made a last attempt to exploit their tenants before a rent control law takes effect on Saturday, according to some residents.
The Post also found some estate agents appeared to have limited knowledge or even provided wrong information on the new rules.
The law will cover about 92,200 such tiny homes across the city, which are often located in rundown buildings, and house some of the city’s poorest residents during their long wait for public flats.
It will require tenants and landlords of subdivided flats to sign a standard agreement that sets out the rental amount, deposit, utility charges and fees for any breach of agreement, and nothing else.
To address past complaints about exorbitant rent rises, the law will forbid landlords to raise the rent in the first two years of a new tenancy. In the third year, tenants will have priority to renew the lease for two more years, and the rent increase will be capped at no more than 10 per cent.
But some residents such as a cleaner, who only gave her name as Cheung, have voiced frustration at not being able to enjoy the new protection. The 40-year-old, who lives with her four children in a 250 sq ft home in Kwai Chung, said the landlord had got her to renew the lease just last month and raise the rent.
