A Hong Kong court has blocked an intended judicial challenge by a public housing tenant against an eviction order after finding it reasonable for authorities to conclude that she was not living in the flat.
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The High Court on Wednesday handed down a written judgment declining to give permission for violin teacher Tang Wai-yin to lodge a judicial review over the Housing Authority’s decision to reclaim possession of her one-person flat in Tin Shui Wai.
Authorities have stepped up efforts to tackle suspected abuse of public housing resources after Kwong Kau, the former father-in-law of slain model Abby Choi Tin-fung, was found in 2023 to have owned a luxury home and a subsidised flat.
Tang complained that investigators from the Housing Department’s public housing resources management subsection had made 18 sudden inspections of her flat at Tin Tsz Estate last year when she had gone out to work or to take care of her family.
In her written case, Tang also sought to justify the flat’s low water and electricity consumption by saying she had pursued an eco-friendly lifestyle and chose not to use air conditioning and refrigerators during the summer.
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