Close to 95 percent of homeowners at the fire-hit Wang Fuk Court have signed and returned a letter of acceptance indicating that they were willing to sell their flats to the government under an official buyback plan.
Chris is one of the Wang Fuk Court residents who approached different government departments before the deadly fire in late November 2025. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.As of August 21, 1,878 owners at the Tai Po estate have expressed interest in the special property buyout scheme, under which their homes will be purchased by a company set up by the government, Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong said during a Commercial Radio programme on Sunday.
That amounts to 94.7 per cent of the total 1,984 households at the estate.
The government announced the buyback scheme in February, after a blaze tore through seven residential towers at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po on November 26 last year, killing 168 people and displacing thousands at the government-subsidised estate.
Close to three-quarters – 74.1 per cent – of homeowners have also taken the next step in the process, signing a formal sale and purchase agreement with government-appointed estate administrators.
These latest figures come one week before the government’s offer is set to expire on August 31. Wong told listeners that the date represents “a serious deadline” and warned that the government’s acquisition arrangements will close on schedule without any extensions or last-minute price increases.
“If anyone says that we will extend the deadline, I want to make it clear here that we will not extend it… If I postpone this deadline, everything else will be affected,” Wong said.
Wang Fuk Court residents attend a flat owners’ meeting at Tai Po Community Centre on July 19, 2026. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.Under the buyout scheme, owners will be able to purchase a new home on the private market or move to another subsidised estate, either through cash or a flat-exchange exercise.