Rental Grant and Relocation Grant for Flat Owners and Relocation Grant for Tenants rolled out by the Support Fund for Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po
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The first measure is to provide affected flat owners with an annual rental grant of $150,000 and a one-off relocation grant of $50,000. The second measure is to provide affected tenants with a one-off relocation grant of $50,000. The details of the two measures are as follows –
(1) Rental grant and relocation grant for flat owners
The Support Fund will provide owners of each of the flats in Wang Fuk Court with an annual rental grant of $150,000 to give them more flexibility and choices in their accommodation arrangements. The grant will be provided for two years and disbursed on a semi-annual basis, with each payment being $75,000.
In tandem with the provision of the rental grant, the Support Fund will provide a one-off relocation grant of $50,000 to the relevant flat owners of Wang Fuk Court to subsidise the relocation and costs for replacing items such as furniture and appliances. Both grants are provided on a non-accountable basis.
Although Wang Chi House is less affected by the fire, it is still yet to be re-opened. The relevant flat owners also have accommodation needs and therefore the two grants are also applicable to owners of Wang Chi House.
The first installment of rental grant of $75,000 and the relocation grant of $50,000 will be disbursed starting from December 22 through the "one social worker per household" mechanism. The Social Welfare Department will handle the cases in accordance with the relevant land registration records and flat owners are not required to submit ownership documents.
(2) Relocation grant for tenants
Although Wang Fuk Court is not long-term or permanent accommodation for the tenants, the Support Fund will provide a one-off relocation grant of $50,000 to the original tenants of Wang Fuk Court on a discretionary basis. This will facilitate them to move from the accommodation arranged by the Government to the flats in the private market.
All original tenants of Wang Fuk Court who choose not to stay in the emergency accommodation arranged by the Government (including youth hostel/campsites/hotel rooms), the Housing Bureau's transitional housing or the Housing Society's flats can receive relocation grant when they move out from the abovementioned flats/units to the flats arranged by themselves through the private market. The relocation grant will also be provided on a non-accountable basis and through the "one social worker per household" mechanism.
In addition, for tenants who have moved into the Housing Bureau's transitional housing or the flats of the Hong Kong Housing Society, or tenants who wish to temporarily move to those flats, they will receive a rent-free period till May 31, 2026. If the tenants choose to stay in these flats of the Housing Bureau or the Hong Kong Housing Society beyond May 31, 2026, they will not receive the $50,000 relocation grant even though they eventually rent their own flats in the private market afterwards.
Ends/Thursday, December 18, 2025
Issued at HKT 22:28
Issued at HKT 22:28
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