Subdivided unit residents feel the heat under the summer sun
發佈日期: 2025-07-06 21:38
TVB News
With temperatures averaging above 34 degrees Celsius, a subdivided household said they rely on just two fans at home while trying to keep cool amid a fierce summer.
And a survey by the Society for Community Organisation revealed more details on the plight of these residents sweltering under the summer heat.
34.6 degrees Celsius around noon. A fan and no air conditioning. This 80 square-metre subdivided unit in Sham Shui Po is the home of Fong and her husband.
The husband said he used eight to 10 tissues a day to wipe his sweat, while the wife mentioned how cockroaches would appear in the unit under the scorching heat.
Despite having an air conditioner, the couple is reluctant to use it owing to costly electricity bills -- sometimes 500 dollars a month. But Fong's case is just the tip of the iceberg.
Between May and July, the Society for Community Organisation, or SoCO, surveyed residents from 300 subdivided units deemed substandard on living conditions during scorching weather.
80.3 percent of interviewees said their utility bills were pricey and they were weighed down by economic burdens.
20 percent said they were unclear about utility charges because landlords or real estate companies failed to show them bills.
Meanwhile, 20.5 percent of tenants said landlords had overcharged utility payments.
The NGO said the median monthly electricity bill was 350 dollars, whereas the water bill was 100.
SoCO Deputy Director Sze Lai-shan said: "According to the law, the landlord or the principle tenant they should show the bill and then to calculate how much they (tenants) need to pay."
The NGO urges the government to step up enforcement action against landlords who overcharge electricity and water bills.
