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Rent arrears recovery success case
Rent Arrears RecoveryWon — Full Amount Recovered

Tenant Accumulated Four Months' Rent Arrears — Landlord Recovered Full Amount

A tenant made excuses across four months, accumulating HK$44,000 in unpaid rent. The landlord successfully recovered the full amount through the Small Claims Tribunal.

TRIBUNAL OUTCOMESmall Claims Tribunal · claim ceiling HK$75,000
RecoveredHK$44,000
ClaimedHK$44,000
CostsBorne by the other side

Recovered in full — Won — Full Amount Recovered

  1. FiledDay 0
  2. Hearing—
  3. RulingDay 105

AGAINST THE OTHERSAcross 9 published illustrative cases the median is 75 days and HK$22,000. This one ran 105 days, about 30 days over that median.

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Background

Our client is a landlord in Wan Chai who rented out a residential flat at HK$11,000 per month. From early 2025, the tenant began making excuses for late payment — first citing salary delays, then cash flow issues. By the time the landlord sought our help, four months of rent (HK$44,000 total) remained unpaid.

Despite multiple written demands via WhatsApp and a formal letter, the tenant continued to make promises without any actual payment. The landlord eventually decided to file a claim.

How We Helped

Evidence organisation: We helped compile the tenancy agreement (clearly showing the monthly rent amount and payment date), bank records showing the last payment received and the subsequent months with no payment, and the full chain of payment demand messages with the tenant's evasive responses.

Filing support: We completed the claim form with a clear month-by-month breakdown of the arrears, making the claim amount straightforward for the Adjudicator to assess.

Pre-hearing preparation: We coached the landlord on how to present the tenancy terms and arrears calculation clearly, and how to respond if the tenant raised defences about the property condition.

Outcome

The tenant attended the hearing but failed to provide any substantive defence. The Adjudicator accepted the landlord's evidence and ordered the tenant to pay HK$44,000 in full.

Key Takeaway

For rent arrears cases, having a clear written record of each payment demand — and the tenant's responses — is essential. A tenancy agreement combined with bank records showing missed payments and written demands that went unanswered is typically sufficient evidence to succeed at the Tribunal.

This is an illustrative case, adapted from the kinds of matter the Hong Kong Small Claims Tribunal hears. It is not the record of an identifiable client, and no outcome shown here is a promise about yours.