Tai Po fire: Gov’t-appointed management firm to hold briefing session for Wang Fuk Court residents in early May

A government-appointed estate management firm selected to take over the owners’ board at the fire-hit Wang Fuk Court will hold a briefing session for residents of the estate in early May, a top official has said.

A man walks past Wang Fuk Court on December 3, 2025. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak said that Hop On Management Company would need time to process some 800,000 documents from residents previously handled by the owners’ board at the estate.

“As far as I understand, the previous management company did not handle these records, particularly those relating to management fees and deposits, particularly well,” she said, adding that Hop On has had to spend “a great deal of time” processing the documents.

Estate management firm Hop On, a subsidiary of real estate giant Chinachem Group, was chosen in January to take over as the “administrator” of the estate while the owners’ corporation board was dissolved, following the massive fire that killed 168 people and displaced thousands.

Mak said on Tuesday that Hop On was still dealing with the issue of service contracts signed by the previous owners’ board that were terminated early.

She added that she understood the management firm was meeting with the service providers to discuss liability and contract terms.

Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak. File photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.

Mak’s remarks follow petitions signed by hundreds of Wang Fuk Court homeowners hoping to meet the government-appointed administrator. No official meeting for owners or residents has been held since the fire broke out.

The minister also said that the government will require owners’ boards to hold briefing sessions prior to formal owners’ general meetings when major repair works are to be carried out. The requirement will be incorporated in legislative amendments in the future, she said.

“Very often, at an owners’ general meeting where many owners are present, the time allocated for questions is extremely limited, making it difficult for owners to make decisions at that stage,” Mak said.

However, no timeline for an owners’ meeting has been confirmed.

She also said that the date of the briefing session would not clash with investigation hearings on the deadly fire and dates for residents to collect their belongings from the decimated estate.