Tai Po fire: Wang Fuk Court residents hit registration hurdles for online meeting with management firm

“A resident of the fire-ravaged Wang Fuk Court housing estate in Tai Po has said homeowners ran into hitches registering for online information sessions scheduled later this month. Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po on December 3, 2025, one week after a deadly fire hit the housing estate. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. Hop On Management, which took over estate management duties after the owners’ corporation committee was dissolved in the wake of the fatal blaze, said in an SMS message to a resident on Sunday that he had not completed registration for an “update session” on May 20, two days after the firm initially confirmed his registration. The management company – a subsidiary of real estate giant Chinachem Group – announced last week that it had scheduled two online sessions on May 12 and 20. Tuesday’s session will be the first time for Hop On to address residents collectively. It will give updates on the firm’s work as well as the financial situation of the now-dissolved owners’ board and refund arrangements for the renovation works that were under way when the fire broke out in November. According to a Hop On document shared with residents and seen by HKFP, the session is only intended to explain the current situation to Wang Fuk Court residents and answer any questions they may have. No voting procedures will take place. Registration ‘not completed’ The resident, who declined to be identified, showed HKFP the text message he received from Hop On. It said: “You have not completed the registration procedures for the Wang Fuk Court owners update session. Therefore, we cannot confirm attendance arrangements.” Representatives for Chinachem Group at the Lands Tribunal on January 6, 2025. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. The resident said he registered for the first session when registration opened on Wednesday, days before the deadline on Sunday at 11.59pm. Hop On confirmed his registration on Friday but told him on Sunday afternoon that his registration had not been completed. As of Monday morning, the resident’s registration had not been confirmed. He said that another resident told him of experiencing the same issue. Since Hop On was appointed administrator of Wang Fuk Court in January, residents have called on the company to hold a general meeting with homeowners. A petition launched by a group of survivors collected 247 handwritten signatures , or some 12 per cent of all households at the estate. Hong Kong’s Building Management Ordinance stipulates that a management committee must convene a general meeting at the written request of at least five per cent of owners. The Home Affairs Department earlier alleged that a similar petition, conducted online, could have contained fraudulent signatures . The Tai Po fire broke out on November 26, claiming 168 lives and burning the homes of thousands. The blaze is Hong Kong’s deadliest since 1948.

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