BEWARE RENTING IN HONG KONG

We are just moving out of our 2,800 s.ft.flat, and the large, well known corporate Landlord is trying to rip us off over "Reinstatement" - surprise!

A well known ex-pat flat finding company found us the flat, and was given a bonus for doing so. It had white walls, & they said we could repaint as long as it was reinstated. Our contractor painted some of the walls cream, and did an excellent job. We have said we will paint them white again & asked the Landlord what kind of paint they used before (so that we do not get a game of "it's the wrong colour white" later on). Their answer has been to say that they wish their own contractor to do the job in case our contractor does a bad job. This is after our walls have already been inspected & no one commented on the quality of the job, which is actually first class. But guess what - their contractor's quote is 4.5 times the cost of our contractor's quote! It contains all kinds of work that do not need to be done, e.g. scraping off plaster. The walls are as smooth as silk!

This is clearly a rip off manouevre which they have probably done many times before with harrassed and pressured tenants who's time is running out packing up their homes. Anyone out there signing a new contract, my advice is get every single detail agreed up front, get it in writing & take photographic, dated pics as evidence. The next ploy I expect is an argument about what is actually "wear & tear". This is all to keep as much of our deposit as they can. Typical greedy, unprincipled, sharp practicing Hong Kong landlords.


We have a view of Deep Water Bay & pay HK$ 130,000 per month, and the building has had constant noisy renovations in the two years we have been here. It's an old block built in the 1980s, and I don't recommend it because you can hear everything which goes on in the flat upstairs (no insultation). The windows are so old that you can hear the wind howling through the gaps in them, and the tiny tiles it is covered in are falling off.


Does anyone know if there is an official body which can mediate on these landlord/tenant matters? If so, please let me know. Many thanks.

A landlord’s attempt to squeeze as much as they can out of tenants is not a new concept. We are a law firm in Hong Kong with a good mix of local and expat knowledge and with extensive experience in property/conveyancing. We would first review the lease contract and in particular details of the reinstatement clause and formulate an appropriate strategy.


If you wish to know more, please drop us an email at : weirlaw@weirandassociates.com.


Suggest a meeting with you with our lawyers about the general steps you can take.


Weir & Associates

Solicitors & Notaries

16th Floor Tak Shing House

20 Des Voeux Road Central

Central

Hong Kong

Tel : 2526-1767

Fax : 2868-3568

Email : WeirLaw@WeirandAssociates.com

www.WeirandAssociates.com