Rotting wall

I pulled my couch away from the wall tonight to vacuum the corner of the room. The wall looked damp and there were small ant like insects crawling over the damp patch. I used the vacuum head (with the soft brush) to get the insects and pulled a chunk of the paint off the wall. I haven't properly inspected the wall yet because I thoroughly sprayed it with insect repellant.


I am new to HK and wondering what the best course of action is. I am subleasing the flat (been in here for 2 months and the least expires Jan 05. So I have two months of rent to pay). I also have 2 months bond tied up. Do I notify the landlord? Will they deduct the bond for something that I didn't cause? I have been reading some other forums which suggest not paying the last two months rent. Is this a good course of action?

I am pretty sure the wall is completely rotten. I have seen rotten walls in NZ before from my uni days and the wood is completely soft and I'm pretty sure the vacuum head would have pushed right through. The patch is about 60-70cm wide and about 50 cm high.

The landlord is responsible for structural and major plumbing works in flats in Hong Kong. You really should notify them that there is a fault that needs attention.

Some landlords have a habit of being difficult with returning deposits, but it doesn't sound like they'd have any excuse to hold back in this case. If they're the troublesome sort, there's not much you can do to prevent them being a ****.

If you choose not to pay the last two months' rent, then you're the one at fault. Most tenancy agreements in HK allow the landlord right of entry in the event that rent goes unpaid for a specified period (often 10-15 days from due date). If you are late in paying rent, you can be evicted, lose your deposit, and still be stuck in small claims court.

Don't pay the last two months rent = BAD advice from people who don't know better, but want to sound like they do.