Tai Po fire: 13 Wang Fuk Court owners refuse gov’t buyout as 99% agree to sell

Thirteen of the homeowners at the fire-ravaged Wang Fuk Court missed the government's deadline to join the official buyout program, officials revealed. The deadline for residents to sign and return a letter of agreement to sell their flats to the government was 5pm on Monday. The buyout scheme offered homeowners either a cash payment or a new flat in a government-subsidized estate in exchange for their properties.

The Wong Fuk Court estate, located in Tai Po, initially housed 1,984 households across eight buildings before a deadly fire claimed 168 lives in November 2025. The government reported that 1,971 households had submitted acceptance letters before the deadline, representing 99.3% of all Wang Fuk Court residents. Of these, 1,595 owners – 80.9% of the total – proceeded to sign a formal sale and purchase agreement with government-appointed estate administrators.

The government will maintain its efforts to acquire the remaining unsold units at a rapid pace, according to officials. No extensions were granted to homeowners. Betty Ho, a Wang Fuk Court resident who refused to sell her flat to the government, expressed her opposition to the government's potential legislative acquisition of unsold titles.

Ho argued that such a law would be akin to "robbing" residents of their private property and would "completely ruin Hong Kong." Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong, who heads the government task force responsible for long-term accommodations for residents, hinted at the possibility of initiating legislative measures to acquire unsold titles as early as next year.

Wong warned that if the government were to proceed with such legislation, the compensation offered would be "substantially lower" than the buyout offer that expired on Monday. The government introduced the buyout scheme in February, setting prices at HK$8,000 or HK$10,500 per square foot, depending on whether the homeowner had paid land premiums.

Under the scheme, homeowners were offered either a cash payout or the opportunity to exchange their flats for a unit in another subsidized estate through a flat-exchange exercise.