Squatters rights

My neighbours property in the new territories has been empty for 4-5 years. I am considering a 'takeover' as it adjoins our place and would be a great addition. I believe squatters rights exist in Hong Kong and that if we reside in the place for 12 years, it will become ours. We have tried to contact the owner in the past, but have had no luck. Thoughts and advice anyone?

Sounds like a concept from ancient history

Ha ha. It does seem a little bit like something from the dark ages. But the law is the law!

i do think it works but i am sure whether these laws are applied equally with gweilos (assuming you are one)

Uncle four certainly have a problem like this with the lot he's trying to donate...

Thanks cookie09. Yes, I'm a gweilo. Might be time to visit the lawyer.

I think this may lead to problems with your physical safety. out of interest, why would you want to steal from someone else?

The place is derelict and quite frankly an eyesore. The way I see it, I would be looking after an otherwise wasted asset. If the owner wants it back any time in the next 12 years, he or she can have it back. After 12 years, it will have been empty for a total of at least 17. What a waste! I'm not sure if what I am doing is theft? I am fairly confident that any property that either you or I own was once taken from someone else as part of colonization. Maybe time we gave that back too?

Dear sirs,


How can I utilize the government to steal property from my neighbor?


Sincerely,

A thief


Seriously though, it isn't yours so don't touch it. Just because there is a law on the books doesn't make it a right thing to do. Besides, until year 12 you'd be trespassing and violating other laws along the way.


And just because an asset is unused for 5 years doesn't mean it isn't wanted by the owner. In fact if it were the case that they didn't want it then it'd be up for sale, which it is not.

Don't you think it would be morally correct to find the owner and make an offer on the property. It could be owned by someone who has died and the "family' may not be aware of the property.


I guess you need to ask yourself the question as to what part of society you want to be part of - The takers or the contributors.


I first attached a link to the law, but before I hit reply, I deleted it as I don't want to help you in your action.

Thanks for all your comments. I have tried to contact the owner previously with a view to buying. I even asked estate agents and other neighbours to try and find them for me. I feel that he or she is morally obligated to keep his or her place in a reasonable state of repair. I could argue that he is robbing me of potential value of my property by not upkeeping his.

I would go for it. But when the "real" owner comes, I'm going to be prepared to compensate him.


At the same time, you need to be ready that a negative consequence may come (just like Loyd mentioned).

Where I live rents have been shooting up and I have had to move twice in the last 12 months. I was paying 8000 per month but when the contact came up for renewal, the landlord demanded 15,000. My wife haggled him down to 13,000 but even that was too much for me. We had been living there for six years already, it was our home.

I used to own a house in the UK which I rented for several years. I never increased the rent. I knew that salaries and wages were not rising. I could have squeezed more money out of the tenants but I didn't.
But my landlord didn't have any such concerns. He has a lot of properties and he doesn't need the extra money, but he still put the rent up as much as he could. My wife wanted to pay him but I didn't and that was the last straw in our marriage. We both moved out, and now live separately.
I found a 700ft flat for for 10,000 which was almost half my monthly salary. To help pay the new rent, during the summer holidays I rented the second bedroom through Airbnb. The landlady found out almost immediately and even though I removed my advert and stopped accepting guests, and paid the rent on time for the next two months, she still continued with her eviction proceedings.
Soon I will have to move again and I am getting tired of it. Increasingly, I feel that Hong Kong landlords are a group of blood sucking vultures who contribute little to society. The big developers who work hand in glove with the CPC and their puppet government have monopolised the housing market and pushed up prices to ridiculous levels. It is now impossible for most people to buy their own home, even a shoebox size apartment. Meanwhile many landlords have so much property that they can afford to leave it empty, because they don't need the rental income. These people are damaging society by hoarding a valuable resource and should be penalised for it. So I totally sympathise with the guy who wants to squat his neighbor's property. There should be no absolute right to own land or property which is left idle and not even maintained for years. The principle should be "use it or lose it".
Before 1997 it was illegal to increase the rent by more than 10% per year which seems reasonable. My salary has not increased since 1997, but rents where I live have doubled. This isn't just bad for me, it hurts everyone in Hong Kong. Income inequality here is greater than almost anywhere in the developed world. We are now a twin track city. The rentiers have no incentive to work for a living, and the majority have despair of ever owning their own home. So if you can't afford to pay the sky rent, and you can put up with all the hassle and insecurity of squatting, then you should go for it.