About half of the public housing estates in Hong Kong are over 20 years old
The problem of aging facilities is getting worse. The Housing Authority has received about 1,900 tenant claims in the past three years, one third of which are related to water mains. The damage was related, but only 5% of the cases were compensated, and there were very few successful claims. He Kaiming, a member of the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions, pointed out that some of the provisions of public housing leases are more stringent than those of private buildings. If the body or property of the occupants is damaged due to overflow of water or water, the Housing Authority of the owners will be irresponsible. Some households have repaired 100,000 yuan and won no compensation. Some residents have also suffered heavy mental pressure from exploding manure. He Kai-ming has criticized that the public housing tenancy agreement is the “shield” for the Housing Department to be unloaded. It is more irresponsible than the private building owners and urges the Housing Authority to amend the tenancy agreement.
Unit Explosive Drainage Department refuses compensation
In the unit where Miss A lived, the Housing Department conducted an annual inspection of the pipe at the beginning of last year. At that time, no problems were found. However, until 6 years last year, Miss A’s home toilet had overflowed with a large amount of unidentified white foam. The management office had sent staff to assist and Give Miss A two sandbags in case the toilet “bubble” occurs again. On the 30th of the same month, Miss A’s toilet in the house had a lot of manure overflowing, and some of it went to the door. The manure was soaked in the whole house, so that the whole house furniture was reimbursed and smelly, but they were afraid to change the rot. Furniture. “My family is worried that when the feces do not know when to explode again, they will suffer from mental distress. Mothers have been insomnia for a long time. They need to see psychiatry.” The Housing Department later appointed a notary public to inspect the “disaster” to determine who is responsible and ultimately to characterize the incident. For the accident, the Housing Department is not required to make compensation.
Another unit of Miss Li, Miss Li, suddenly burst in the middle of the night due to the toilet salt drain. The salt water overflowed and flooded the whole house. The water level was as high as 9 cm. The whole house furniture, floor tiles and walls were soaked. The Housing Department has twice sent Maintenance. Miss Li said that after the salt water was soaked, the unit smelled and there was a lot of dust. She had informed the Housing Department about the compensation arrangement. A deputy manager told her to replace the damaged platform and keep the documents for recovery.
He Qiming urges the Housing Department to assume the responsibility of the owner
In the end, they spent more than 100,000 yuan on repairs. After reviewing the notary bank, they concluded that the head of the household had never complained that the unit had leaked water. It was considered that the incident was an individual incident. It was an accident and the tenancy agreement stated that the Housing Department had dispatched staff within a reasonable time. Maintenance, so there is no dereliction of duty, no compensation is recommended.
He Kai-ming believes that whether it is a water mains, a drain or a ditch, it is a structural facility of the building. The inspection and maintenance are all the responsibility of the Housing Department. The tenants cannot check the use of the flat pipe by themselves. Therefore, the Housing Department cannot be repaired due to lack of maintenance. The transfer of responsibilities to tenants and the fact that public housing tenants are grassroots families are difficult to “harden” all losses. They urge the Housing Department to bear the responsibility of owners to protect the interests of public housing tenants.
Housing Department: If the tenant causes the accident to be uninsured
In response to the Hong Kong Wen Wei Po Enquiry, the Housing Department said that the Housing Authority would perform the duties of the Manager and the owners to arrange public liability insurance for the properties under its jurisdiction. The insurance company would commission a notary public to investigate the relevant claims. If there is fire, water, salt water, overflow of water or other incidents causing personal injury and damage to household property, after investigation, it is confirmed by the negligence of the HA or the staff of the outsourcing company, the HA or the outsourcing company The insurance company will be responsible for compensation. However, if the accident is caused by a tenant, other tenants or other reasons, it will not be included in the public liability insurance purchased by the HA or the outsourcing company.