Government-appointed administrator of the fire-hit Court Wang Fuk has said he is “confident” a meeting of owners can be held next month, after missing a deadline for the meeting two weeks ago.
Hop On Management said in a statement on Friday that it will focus on preparing for the meeting after deciding not to seek an appeal against a Land Tribunal decision denying the firm’s bid to extend the legal deadline for the owners’ meeting.
“Hop On will instead focus its resources on advancing preparations for the Owners’ Meeting and is confident that the meeting can be successfully held within July,” he said.
On November 26, 2025, a fire engulfed seven residential towers at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, killing 168 people and displacing thousands. An independent committee chaired by Judge David Lok was set up to investigate what caused the fire.
After receiving a petition from the Wang Fuk court house owners in late April, Hop On Management was originally supposed to call a meeting by May 13th and hold it until June 13th.
The firm said it was still looking for a venue that would seat at least 1,000 people and be available for six consecutive hours on Saturday or Sunday.
“Various options are being considered to ensure that the meeting goes ahead smoothly,” the firm said.
The owners postpone the meeting
In court earlier this month, Hop On’s lawyers said the firm had faced challenges in verifying owner signatures needed to proceed, as well as problems finding seats.
The firm said on Friday: “Given the special circumstances of the Wang Fuk Court, Hop On still needs to address a number of arrangements in preparation for the Shareholders’ Meeting, including how to deliver meeting notices, collection points for proxy forms and related verification procedures.”
On April 29, Hop On, which is a subsidiary of real estate giant Chinachem Group, received a petition with 247 handwritten signatures, asking the firm to meet with homeowners to discuss long-term relocation and related financial issues.
The total number of signatures supporting the petition has exceeded the 5 percent threshold needed to call a meeting set forth by the Building Management Ordinance. According to the ordinance, the management committee must give notice of the meeting within 14 days and hold a general meeting with the owners within 45 days.
On Friday, it confirmed it had verified the required number of signatures.
Purchase not addressed
Hop On said the upcoming meeting will not address the preferences of individual landlords if they intend to sell their flats to the government in a separate purchase scheme.
“The private property rights of individual owners – including whether to sell their property – do not include control, management or administration of the common parts or the building as a whole, and therefore will not be addressed at the Owners’ Meeting,” he said.
“Hop On will continue to fully advance the preparatory work for the Meeting and the will of the Owners
report the latest progress to all owners in a timely manner,” she said.
Handing down its decision earlier this month, the court said Hop On should “meet and hold the meeting as soon as possible”. Postponing the deadline would affect homeowners’ rights to a meeting, he said.
Wang Chi House
Separately on Friday, it was announced that Wang Chi House, the only building in the fire-hit estate left untouched by the fire, will also be included in the government’s buyback scheme after more than three-quarters of the owners agreed to sell their flats.
A total of 193 owners, amounting to 77.8 percent, signed acceptance letters to sell their flats to the government, according to a statement on Friday. The “strong consensus” means that the purchase will also extend to the House of Wang Chi.
Under the buy-to-let scheme, owners will be able to buy a new home on the private market or move into a subsidized property, either through cash or an exchange exercise.
To meet demand from Wang Chi House residents, an additional 496 subsidized units will be made available for sale over the 3,900 currently reserved for owner-occupiers in the estate. Additional units located at the Pak Wo Road project in Fanling and the Anderson Road Quarry Site project in Kwun Tong.
The purchase of the Wang Chi House apartments will cost HK$1 billion, on top of the HK$4 billion earmarked for the other seven towers.
Those who agree to the purchase will have to sign and submit a letter of acceptance to the government. Those who will do this before June 30 will have special priority to choose another apartment offered by the government, while the deadline to express interest is August 31.
If the final number of purchase agreements does not meet the three-quarters threshold, the government “reserves the right” to reinstate the purchase scheme for Wang Chi House.
