Tai Po fire: 13 Wang Fuk Court owners refuse gov’t buyout as 99% agree to sell

Thirteen homeowners at fire-hit Wang Fuk Court have missed the government’s deadline to participate in an official buyout scheme, according to city housing authorities.

Wang Fuk Court after deadly fire, April 23, 2026. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.

Owners had until 5pm on Monday to sign and return a letter of acceptance agreeing to sell their flats to the government in return for a cash payment or a new flat in another government-subsidised estate.

The government-subsidised residential estate in Tai Po accommodated 1,984 households in eight buildings before a deadly fire hit the estate, claiming 168 lives in November last year.

The government said on Thursday that 1,971 households had submitted the acceptance letter before this deadline, signalling their intention to sell their titles to the government. That represents 99.3 per cent of all Wang Fuk Court households.

Of these, 1,595 owners – 80.9 per cent of the total – took the next step in the process, signing a formal sale and purchase agreement with government-appointed estate administrators.

“The government will continue to follow up on procedures for acquiring the remaining titles at full speed,” authorities said in a statement on Thursday.

No extensions

Officials previously said that the Monday deadline would not be extended, and the government had not ruled out using “legislative means” to acquire the remaining unsold units in the future.

Betty Ho, a Wang Fuk Court homeowner, refused to sell her flat to Hong Kong government. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.

Betty Ho, a Wang Fuk Court homeowner who refuses to sell her flat to the government, told HKFP earlier this month that it would be “robbing” residents of their private property if the government tried to acquire unsold titles by law.

“I am interested to see how [the government] could make such a law. It would completely ruin Hong Kong,” Ho said in Cantonese.

Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong, who heads the government task force arranging long-term accommodation for residents, earlier said that the government could start the legislative process for acquiring unsold titles as early as next year.

Wong added that if the government were to handle unsold titles by law, compensation would be “substantially lower” than the buyout offer that expired on Monday.

Wang Fuk Court on fire in late November 2025. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.

The government announced a buyout scheme in February, with the prices set at HK$8,000 or HK$10,500 per square foot, depending on whether the homeowner had paid land premiums.

Under the buyout scheme, homeowners were offered either a cash payout or a unit in another subsidised estate through a flat-exchange exercise.