{
  "id": 5292000,
  "title": "75.8% of flat owners at block unscathed by Tai Po fire agree to sell to authorities",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/03/75-8-of-flat-owners-at-block-unscathed-by-tai-po-fire-agree-to-sell-5292000",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-03T09:01:12.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "South China Morning Post",
    "slug": "south-china-morning-post",
    "url": "https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3366233/758-flat-owners-block-unscathed-tai-po-fire-agree-sell-authorities"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A staggering 75.8 percent of the residents at Wang Chi House, the sole block that escaped the catastrophic blaze at Wang Fuk Court last November, have agreed to sell their flats to the Hong Kong government, according to officials. These 188 homeowners have signed sales and purchase agreements, the Housing Bureau announced on Thursday. The government has pledged to proceed with the acquisition process, working to finalize the necessary title acquisition procedures, a spokesperson confirmed. Following the devastating fire that claimed 168 lives and left nearly 5,000 others displaced, authorities unveiled a plan to repurchase flats within the eight-block subsidized housing complex in Tai Po. The government is offering to purchase homes at either HK$8,000 or HK$10,500 per square foot, contingent upon whether the owners have fulfilled their land premiums. Buy-back offers were first extended to the residents of the other seven blocks before being expanded to Wang Chi House. Initially, authorities had stated they could cancel the acquisition plan if fewer than 75 percent of the owners at Wang Chi House agreed to sell their properties by October 15. However, the bureau reported that 99.3 percent of all owners across the eight blocks, amounting to 1,971 households, had expressed their intent to sell via acceptance letters by the time the scheme concluded on Monday. Furthermore, 1,595 owners had already finalized sales and purchase agreements with the government as of Wednesday. Authorities assured that they would promptly initiate the acquisition of the remaining estate properties.",
  "summary": "More than 75 per cent of homeowners at the only block spared the worst of last November’s deadly fire at Wang Fuk Court have agreed to sell their flats to the Hong Kong government, with authorities to press ahead with acquisition procedures. The Housing Bureau said on Thursday that 75.8 per cent of the flats at the estate’s Wang Chi House, or 188 households, had signed sales and purchase…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "South China Morning Post - Hong Kong",
        "title": "75.8% of flat owners at block unscathed by Tai Po fire agree to sell to authorities",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/03/75-8-of-flat-owners-at-block-unscathed-by-tai-po-fire-agree-to-sell",
        "published": "2026-09-03T09:01:12.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}