apartment exterior renovation - help!

Our low rise flat is being entombed by bamboo scaffolding today. The landlord just gave us notice verbally yesterday after the construction materials already started arriving.


With workmen scrambling outside our windows, I've heard renovation basically means we'll have to live with all the curtains closed for the next 2 months.


Anyone have any ideas of our tenant rights in these types of situations in hong kong?

Thanks goofie, I'm very happy to hear there is hope of getting compensation even with the landlord friendly system here. We signed the lease about 6 months ago. The building was just sold to a new owner who is renovating to increase the rent in the other apartments in the building not yet rented out. It would seem this might not be a forseeable situation when we signed the lease.


He gave absolutely no notice there would be a renovation though. I think that might be an actionable legal point. The renovation seems to be for completely cosmetic reasons to increase the attractiveness of the small low rise building, and doesn't seem to be for any essential repairs.


I'll take your advice and go through our agent...we've kind of hit a brick wall with the management company. So far all we've managed to extract is their agreement to give one day notice in advance of work to be done instead of having people just show up.


I know medical reasons also hold up in court, so if it gets unhealthfully dusty/polluted for the children we should have some rights to be compensated for staying elsewhere.