12th October 2023 – (Hong Kong) A Hong Kong woman has caused a stir by removing the kitchen door of her public housing unit and offering it for sale online at an exorbitant price. The controversial advertisement has ignited a heated discussion among netizens. However, her actions are in clear violation of the regulations set by the Housing Department, which strictly prohibit any alterations or removal of public housing fixtures.
It is believed that the woman resides in a public housing estate located in the Wong Tai Sin district, as indicated by her request for buyers to collect the item from that area.
The Housing Department currently stipulates that kitchen doors in public housing units cannot be modified or removed, as such actions would breach the terms of the public housing lease agreement.
Many internet users have criticised the woman’s decision to sell the kitchen door, with comments such as: “She’s already paying thousands of dollars in rent for public housing, and she still wants to save on something like this?” Another user pointed out the issue of restoring the unit upon vacating it, stating, “When you return the public housing unit, you have to reinstall the original door. Selling your own possessions is one thing, but the door doesn’t belong to you.”
Some netizens have speculated that the Housing Department may have installed tracking chips within the kitchen doors, rendering them useless to buyers. One comment read, “Did they add a chip inside the door? How can it be replaced so easily? The buyers might be in for a surprise.”
In a further twist, some individuals have expressed their intention to pose as potential buyers in order to obtain the seller’s address and report her to the Housing Department. One netizen suggested, “Once we get the address, we can report her to the authorities.”
The Housing Department strictly mandates that upon the eventual reclamation of public housing units or the departure of tenants, the units must be restored to their original condition. This includes the requirement to reinstall both the kitchen door and the main entrance door, as any modifications or removal of these fixtures would be a violation of the public housing lease agreement.
