Hong Kong homeowner fined HK$180,000 for ‘wilful’ structural flat wall removal

A Hong Kong court has fined a flat owner HK$180,000 (US$23,160) for wilfully removing a load-bearing wall without approval as part of a HK$1 million modification of his new home. Magistrate Lau Suk-han said on Monday that owner Ku Chun-ho bore responsibility for checking whether removing one of the three walls in his 681 sq ft flat in Lohas Park’s The Capitol, in Tseung Kwan O, was a structural one and required approval from the Buildings Department. The court heard that documents concerning the...