Hong Kong family of four may be forced on to street if they have to leave rooftop slum by year’s end

Landlord tells tenants to get out in wake of government crackdown on industrial buildings after Ngau Tau Kok fire

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The rooftop shack in Kwun Tong that must be cleared by the end of the year. Photo: Sam Tsang

Published: 9:00pm, 23 Oct 2016Updated: 10:45pm, 23 Oct 2016

A dilapidated and stuffy 200-square-foot rooftop slum is not the best environment for a family of four, but for Tsui, his wife and two daughters that is a luxury they might lose by the end of the year if the government does not treat them leniently in its drive to get rid of illegal homes in industrial buildings.

Tsui is one of around 30 tenants who will be affected by a deadline to move out of the flimsy shacks built with metal sheets on the rooftop of an industrial building in Kwun Tong.

Despite suffering from numerous health issues including high blood pressure and the effects of falling nine storeys about 30 years ago, including persistent swollen ankles, Tsui, 59, works as a security guard and is the sole breadwinner for his family.

His wife is unable to work as she is chronically ill and his two daughters are still studying in a secondary school.

A view from the rooftop shack in Kwun Tong. Photo: Sam Tsang

Taking home only about HK$9,000 a month, the family struggles to make ends meet. About a third goes on rent, while the rest is spent on food, transport and miscellaneous fees for the daughters.

Tsui is still waiting to get a public housing flat after applying in 2002. His case has been complicated by his changing status, with his daughters and wife coming to Hong Kong from the mainland in 2009 and 2012 respectively.