Ruco Chan refutes accusation of being a ‘tenant from hell’

Hong Kong actor Ruco Chan rented out an apartment in May last year, only to end up being labelled a ‘tenant from hell’ by his landlord, who accused him of terminating the rent contract earlier and owing a month’s worth of rent, among other things.

According to the landlord, Ruco first rented the apartment in May last year, and signed a two-year contract, where termination of the rent contract is prohibited for the first year. Ruco had originally rented the apartment to live together with his mother, however, at the start of 2018, his mother suffered a fall as the apartment’s floor tiles had popped out. Thus, the actor notified his landlord ahead of time that he’ll stay on in the apartment for one year, and move out at the end of April this year.

After Ruco moved out, his landlord accused him of breaching the contract and failing to pay up the last month’s worth of rent. Additionally, after the 41-year-old moved in, the apartment’s air-conditioning unit broke, the floor tiles turned black and were mouldy, the walls were full of holes due to drilling, and the ceiling had a huge hole in it, to name a few. The landlord also added that Ruco even cursed at him.

On Monday (June 11), Ruco responded to his landlord’s allegations, with a stack of documents and print-outs of their chat history in hand.

He revealed that the air-conditioning unit had been spoilt even before he moved in. Additionally, his mum was the one who viewed the apartment and signed the contract. At that time, she felt that there were too many built-in cupboards affixed to the walls. However, the landlord had assured her by declaring that the built-in cupboards could be removed.

“In the end, after we removed the built-in cupboards, we found out that the [walls] behind weren’t even painted,” Ruco recalled.

“I gave them money to buy paint, and passed the receipts to him [the landlord], how can I owe him rent,” he continued.

The actor also showed the media the chat history between the two, pointing out that when the landlord agreed to let him move out earlier, Ruco had asked at the same time if the security deposit he put down could be used as rent for the last month. The landlord did not reply him, thus, Ruco thought that the matter was settled.

As for the mouldy floor tiles, Ruco shared that the apartment’s electrical wiring had short-circuited, and that there was problems with the air-conditioning unit and electrical hot water heater. Every time an issue cropped up, he made sure to inform the landlord immediately, only for the landlord to drag his feet when it came to fixing these issues, causing his mum to eventually slip and fall in the apartment.

“She suffered a cerebral concussion, and can’t speak or walk properly,” he said, adding that they had no choice but to move away.

He added that he had no problem paying the rent that he owes, although there is a lot of procedures that have to be completed properly.

“The landlord continually delayed matters in the past, how am I supposed to trust him? I don’t mind meeting him to clear things up, but the most important thing is to do things properly, according to the law,” he concluded.

As for the matter of Ruco cursing at the landlord, the actor refuted the allegations, though he did admit that he was a little wound up at the start, when the air-conditioning unit broke down. However, he maintained that he did not curse at anyone, even exclaiming, “If I really did do so, then may both my arms be crippled!”

Finally, he shared that he has already engaged a lawyer to deal with the matter, and pleaded with the media to leave his mother alone, as she’s still recovering from the fall.

Photos: PBE Media

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