J Residence in Wan Chai, where the murder of two Indonesian women allegedly took place on Nov, 1
How do you get around Hong Kong’s ridiculously high property and rent prices? The answer: you can’t… unless you want to live somewhere “haunted”, in which case, you’re laughing.
Those looking to rent and buy in one of the world’s most expensive cities for real estate can enjoy discounts of up to 50 percent if they’re willing to stay in an apartment where a suicide or murder occurred.
According to a report by Bloomberg, the price of Rurik Jutting’s luxury Wan Chai apartment, where the murder of two Indonesian women allegedly took place on Nov. 1, could drop by half when it is finally released by police, cleaned and rented out again.
Midland Holdings realtor Sammy Po explained that such units are known as “hung jaak”, meaning “haunted apartment” in Cantonese.
This is such a thing that squarefoot.com.hk even lists the 190 flats where unnatural deaths have taken place so far this year, presumably so superstitious people can avoid them and thrifty people can make a beeline for them.
The website gives a little description of what sort of tragedy occurred, such as “a 100-year-old woman hanged herself”, “a married couple committed suicide” and “a one-month-old baby was found dead”. Grim.
Hong Kong property agents don’t have to disclose such information by law, even if you ask them if a place is haunted. It’s kind of like asking a cop if he’s a cop; you have to literally say, “Have any murders or suicides taken place here?” to get a straight answer, apparently.
Hong Kong people also shy away from buying and renting property near hospitals, churches and cemeteries too, so go sniffing around those places if you’re looking for cheap rent but don’t want to go as far as living in a former crime scene.
