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Major fire in flat... What to do now?

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  1. #11

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    Quote Originally Posted by ejc317:
    I mean it could only be a cigarette or candles. What else starts a fire in your living room lol
    faulty electronics or using 120v power supply without a step down transformer
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  2. #12

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    What else starts a fire in your living room lol
    Faulty appliances, exploding chargers, bad wiring....
    @hkguychuckie - how are things holding up with the landlord? A lot of the policies only cover original structure, so say the floor was replaced, it may not. Also not too sure if the policy will cover repainting the apartment etc.
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  3. #13

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    Couple of points:

    a) It all depends on your lease. What are the specific terms relating to fire, insurance and damage.

    b) The "standard" Hong Kong leases (i.e. the ones you can find on the Internet) will frequently contain a clause that makes you responsible to continue paying rent for 2 or 3 months while a flat is being repaired due to fire. You will want to check this point to see if there is a requirement you continue to pay rent while the repairs are underway. Note it also sometimes has a clause that says the landlord will put you up in other accommodations.

    c) You may very well be liable to the landlord for any damage caused by the fire, for example if there is structural damage due to a fire that might be your fault. Usually renters insurance covers against this liability but it is something to investigate. Landlord may even send you a bill for repainting the walls.

    d) The standard lease usually has a end-all, be-all "the landlord is not responsible for your personal belongings due to fire".

    3) Join the Facebook group for Hong Kong used furniture and look at the adverts here on Geoexpat. In less than a week you can have enough free to nearly free furniture to replace everything lost (seriously--people are always giving away stuff).

    As a general rule, you were probably in violation of the lease by not having renters insurance. Whether this is going to come back to bite you (i.e. the landlord will make a stink, or if the landlord goes after you for some liability blaming you for the fire) is to be determined. Pressing the landlord to pay for replacing your stuff is a questionable course of action dependent in part on your relationship with the landlord and any possible recourse they may have (or desire) against you.

    Basically, before you go begging for new furniture, make sure the landlord isn't going to get mad.

    Last edited by penguinsix; 03-05-2016 at 07:10 PM.
    shri likes this.

  4. #14

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    Not a specific insurance for renters but a generic insurance which covers content for theft, fire, water damage etc is reasonably cheap. I think many of them also protect for negligence and have a helperedical add on.


  5. #15

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    Original Post Deleted
    Plenty of house hold content insurance in hk regardless whether you renting, own or illegally occupying

  6. #16

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    Whether it is a violation of the lease depends on the lease. I think the standard form will have a clause requiring the tenant to purchase something. I believe the term of art frequently used here is "household contents insurance" which often contains a "third party liability" section, so it insures your contents and protects you from claims by third parties for damage (i.e. injury or damage to the property due to a fire you caused). I'm not aware of a self-occupied clause but maybe there are some for owners and others for renters.

    I think CCW offers something like this. A quick Google showed something from Citibank and HSBC as well.

    Hong Kong Home Contents and Household Possessions Insurance from CCW

  7. #17

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    Original Post Deleted
    Google home content insurance Hong Kong! Or you can try quik quoter

  8. #18

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    I rent and have a personal contents policy which also covers claims for liability to 3rd parties such as my landlord. In a typical situation where a tenant is responsible for fire or water damage (say i left the stove or a bathroom tap on) to the flat, the landlord can claim for repairs under his own insurance policy, but his insurers would usually reserve the right to claim the cost of repair from the tenant. If the tenant has a personal contents or household insurance policy, that policy will kick in to cover the claim from the landlords insurers. You can get these policies from any insurer. I have insured with Axa and Manulife.

  9. #19

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    MSAD sells home insurance. You have to be a legal renter though ...