New administrator for fire-hit estate launches enquiry website as resident questions lack of owners’ meeting

2026-02-04 - 04:18

A property management firm chosen last month to take over the owners’ board of fire-hit Wang Fuk Court has set up a website to facilitate communication with residents whose lives were upended by last November’s deadly blaze. However, a resident has questioned why the management firm for the decimated Tai Po residential complex has yet to convene an owners’ meeting. Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, pictured on November 28, 2025, in the aftermath of the fatal blaze. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. Hop On Management Company Ltd, a subsidiary of real estate giant Chinachem Group, established the online platform on Tuesday to “ensure effective communication with residents,” according to a statement by the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau. The deadly blaze broke out on November 26 last year, tearing through seven of the eight buildings at the housing estate, killing 168 people and displacing nearly 5,000 residents. Authorities believe that the rapid spread of the flames was exacerbated by substandard foam board and construction netting. The Lands Tribunal last month approved the government’s bid to dissolve the existing owners’ corporation board and install Hop On as the “administrator” of the estate. The court ruled that the relief work for the deadly fire was “clearly beyond the experience and knowledge” of the original owners’ board. To take over the functions of the owners’ board, Hop On initiated tasks including updating bank account details, conducting the handover with the former owners’ board, examining its finances, and clarifying legal responsibilities and rights. In an introductory message on the communications portal, Hop On said its primary responsibilities were to assist owners by reviewing documents, clarifying responsibilities, and establishing communication platforms. “We fully recognise that every decision is closely tied to the interests of all owners. Hop On will work with professionalism, sincerity, and dedication, maintaining close cooperation with government departments and supporting every owner of Wang Fuk Court,” the firm said. Hop On Management Company’s website for Wang Fuk Court residents, on February 4, 2026. Photo: Screenshot. The website includes a section for tenants and owners, as well as the media, to submit enquiries. Owners’ meetings At the tribunal last month, Hop On said it was organising a meeting to allow owners and residents to voice their concerns after the owners’ corporation cancelled a scheduled meeting earlier due to capacity issues. There was no mention of such a meeting in Tuesday’s statement. Wang Fuk Court resident Jason Kong questioned why Hop On had not convened an in-person meeting for owners. He noted that Thursday’s public session hosted by the review committee investigating the deadly Tai Po fire had found a venue for some 400 people. An owners’ meeting of a comparable scale would suffice, “so let’s try that first,” he told HKFP on Wednesday. He added that owners had not had a chance to gather in person since the fire. Wang Fuk Court resident Jason Kong in his new temporary housing unit in Hung Shui Kiu. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. Kong also said that Hop On’s website did not have a phone number or an address. “Communication should at least be more formal, more direct,” he said. Operation Building Bright As part of Hop On’s first move as the estate’s new administrator, it was also announced in the Tuesday statement that the firm will facilitate the disbursement of subsidies under the Operation Building Bright 2.0 scheme – a subsidy programme managed by the Urban Renewal Authority. The subsidy is meant for owners of properties at buildings chosen for the Mandatory Building Inspection Scheme, which selects buildings aged 30 or above for mandatory checks and repairs every year. At the time of the fire, Wang Fuk Court was undergoing repairs required by the mandatory inspection programme. The full subsidy of HK$40,000 or HK$50,000 will be issued via cheque directly to approximately 1,700 eligible owner-occupiers and elderly owner-occupiers of Wang Fuk Court, respectively. Owners’ contact information can be shared through their assigned social workers, and Hop On will then get in touch with owners to explain how to collect their cheques at collection points across various districts.