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Wang Fuk Court owners return buy-back acceptance letters near 90%
The government said 1,786 owners had submitted acceptance letters by July 16, and 769 had already signed sale and purchase agreements.
About 90% of flat owners at Hong Kong’s fire-damaged Wang Fuk Court have submitted signed letters accepting the government’s buy-back offer, according to the Deputy Financial Secretary’s Office. As of July 16, a total of 1,786 owners, or about 90%, had returned acceptance letters, with 769 already having signed sale and purchase agreements, representing 43% of respondents.
The office also broke down responses by building blocks. By block, 1,565 letters came from Blocks A to G, representing about 90.1% of flats in those buildings, while 221 letters came from Wang Chi House (Block H), at roughly 89.1% of its flats.
The buy-back follows the November 26 inferno that tore through Blocks A to G, killing 168 people and displacing about 5,000 residents. The government’s plan came after a February announcement that it would spend about HK$6.8 billion (US$867 million) to acquire affected flats, funded by HK$4 billion in public money and HK$2.8 billion from a donation-backed support fund.
SCMP Economy reported that the government later extended the offer to owners in Wang Chi House, the only block not damaged in the fire, at an estimated cost of HK$1 billion. Residents have also raised concerns about rushed decisions tied to priority selection.