Hong Kong homeowners should be vigilant against handing over their voting rights to strangers, a property management professional and a legislator have warned, saying proxy harvesting remains a rampant threat to building safety amid a major corruption crackdown.
The warning was made on Monday amid heightened scrutiny of building management after last year’s deadly fire at Tai Po’s Wang Fuk Court that claimed at least 161 lives. Last week, 21 people were arrested in an operation by the city’s anti-corruption watchdog on suspicion of corruption at two Kwun Tong estates.
Johnnie Chan Chi-kau, spokesman of the Hong Kong Association of Property Management Companies, pointed to a specific tactic used by syndicates to hijack owners’ corporations.
“You must not sign a proxy form for someone you do not know. People may come up knocking on your door, saying ‘I am from the owners’ corporation’ or ‘I represent a certain organisation’,” Chan said on a radio programme.
“You should avoid those as much as possible because we all know there are many lawless people who may take advantage of the current situation … perhaps even impersonating Care Teams.”
Chan said syndicates often targeted owners unfamiliar with renovation complexities, securing signatures on documents that would allow them to manipulate voting on multimillion-dollar contracts.
