Stacy Shi Some tenants in Housing Society rental flats have been found to own properties valued at up to more than HK$10 million each, including one case which had more than 30 plots of land under their name. Also, 13 tenants have agreed to vacate their flats following an asset check and declaration by the society. They include four tenants who admitted to owning properties as noted by Sanford Poon Yuen-fong, the society's director of property management, in an interview with local media yesterday.
Over the past five years the society has recovered 93 public rental housing units, with 80 percent found to be unoccupied. Poon said there was one particularly striking case in which a tenant owned over 30 plots of land, some located in remote areas of the New Territories. "These plots are often agricultural and many have unpaid premiums, which may diminish their value," Poon said, adding the society is still assessing whether the plots' total asset value exceeds the tenant's limit.
To enhance the efficiency of verifying tenants' property ownership, the society established a mechanism with the Lands Department last year. This allows them to identify not only residential but also some nonresidential properties. In addition, Poon said the society has reached out to relevant mainland authorities to investigate whether tenants might own properties there, receiving responses in some instances.
Concerns were also raised regarding over 20 cross-boundary vehicles parked in the society's monthly parking spaces. Officials are looking into whether the vehicles belong to public housing tenants. The society's frontline security guards have been trained to identify new luxury cars, Poon said.
He cautioned that the value of second-hand luxury cars may have depreciated. The society has also seen a significant increase in reports of abuse, rising from about 90 cases last year to 209 in the first half of this year. However, there are currently no plans to introduce a reward mechanism for reporting such issues similar to the one introduced by the Housing Authority.
Various complaints from neighbors regarding suspicious behavior are under investigation, including reports of residents frequently consuming expensive wine, and one woman who provided detailed evidence of her ex-boyfriend's hidden assets after their breakup. stacy.shi@singtaonewscorp.
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