Chow Kwok Woon Ping 訴 Incorporated Owners of Grand View Court

Read the full judgment text of LDBM 247/2002 on BabelCite. This Lands Tribunal judgment.

1. 申請人是九龍太子道西320號翡翠閣地下第17號及第18號停車位的業主;答辯人是翡翠閣的業主立案法團。2003年1月10日,本席批准申請人將申請通知書作出修改的申請。申請人提出的有以下3項申請 :

Cites 1 case

Case No.LDBM 247/2002
Court
Lands Tribunal
Date
Judge
Case Document
100%Judiciary

LDBM000247/2002

LDBM 247 OF 2002

香港特別行政區

土地審裁處

建築物管理申請編號2002年第247號

Chow Kwok Woon Ping 申請人
Incorporated Owners of Grand View Court 答辯人

主審法官:周兆熊法官

宣判日期:2003年2月11日

______________

判 案 書

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1.申請人是九龍太子道西320號翡翠閣地下第17號及第18號停車位的業主;答辯人是翡翠閣的業主立案法團。2003年1月10日,本席批准申請人將申請通知書作出修改的申請。申請人提出的有以下3項申請 :

"1.1 Order to release Memorandum Charges No. 8721144, Registration Date 3/7/2002 of the Car Park Nos 17 and 18 on G/Floor, Grand View Court No. 320 Prince Edward Road West, Kowloon, at the Respondent's cost and expenses.

1.2 Order to refund to the Applicant the management fee paid to the Respondent for Car Park No. 17 for the period 06/1999 to 12/2002 (@100 x 43), total $4,300.00.

1.3 Order to supply a copy of the current budget pertinent to the allotment of management fee of the said building to the Applicant. (1(7) Seventh Schedule, Building Management Ordinance, Chapter 344)."

2.2002年12月11日,本席頒令答辯人於21天內向法庭存檔以及送達予對方反對通知書,但答辯人並無遵守該命令,亦沒有出席在該日之後的審訊。

3.第1.1項的申請

1983年10月8日,申請人成為翡翠閣5字樓D室以及上述兩個車位的註冊業主。1994年12月,她將5字樓D室售去,但她仍然保留兩個車位的業權。

3.1答辯人是基於申請人沒有繳交第17及第18號停車位而在土地註冊處對申請人上述兩個車位的土地權益而註上押記的。答辯人的經理人(Housing Management Agency Ltd.)在2002年6月17日致函它的律師行(劉棟燊律師行),要求後者作出註押之事 :

"Re: Memorandum of Charge for
CAR PARK NO. 17 & 18 GROUND FLOOR
GRAND VIEW COURT NO. 320 PRINCE EDWARD ROAD
KOWLOON

We write to request your assistant in the memorandum of charge by the name of the Incorporated Owners of GRAND VIEW COURT for the following Case.

The details are as follows: -

Outstanding Payments

Amount

CP. 17 Management Fee 01/98 - 05/99
(@$100.00 x 17) &

$1700.00

06/01 - 08/01 (@$100.00 x 3)

$300.00

CP. 18 Management Fee 01/98 - 06/02
(@$100.00 x 54)

$5400.00

Total:

$7,400.00

其後劉棟燊律師行對第17及第18號車位的土地權益分別註冊一項押 記。

3.2申請人是否負有繳交停車位管理費的法律責任?這要視乎翡翠閣的大廈公契是否載有關聯的條款。大廈公契的4(f)條規定 :

"The following costs charges and expenses shall be borne and paid by the owners of the said building in proportion to the number of units in the said premises for the time being owned by them, namely: -

(i) Electricity, water and other similar charges for or in connection with the said building as a whole and not being in respect of the use of or consumption in any particular flat or other area enjoyed exclusively by one owner.

(ii) Remuneration for caretakers, watchmen, cleaners, attendants and the like.

(iii) The cost of refuse disposal.

(iv) The cost of repairing, renewing, maintaining, cleansing, painting or decorating the building or any part or parts thereof or the common parts of the building and including the exterior walls and all water pumps, tanks, pipes, sewers, drains, water-courses, cables, wires or services therein and all the apparatus equipment and conveniences thereof.

(v) The cost of operating and servicing the water pumps.

(vi) The cost of operating maintaining repairing servicing replacing and renewing the lift in the building.

(vii) The charges payable to Government or to any individual or company for the supply of flush water

(viii) The premiums payable for the insurance of the building against employers' liability and against third party liability as aforesaid.

(ix) Such legal or other fees and costs which may be incurred by the Manager in the performance of any duty or in the exercise of any power hereunder."

3.3大廈公契第4(g)條規定 :

"Each owner of a unit shall pay to the Manager or his appointed agent a sum of $100.00 per calendar month for the performance of his duties hereunder and towards the costs and expenses for the Management of the said building."

(原文無底線)

第4(g)條所指的“costs and expenses for the Management of the said building”必定是第4(f)條所列載的支出。

3.4公契並無載有“unit”或“units”的釋義;“unit”或“units”是否包括停車位?公契第6條提供清晰的答案。第6條有以下的條 文 :

"If any one unit in the said building shall have it own separate Government water meter then the water charges for the supply of water to such unit shall be paid by the owner thereof but if two or more units in the said building share the same Government water meter then the water charges for the supply of water to such group of units shall be shared and paid by the owners thereof in proportion to the number of such units for the time being owned by such owners."

(原文無底線)

3.5第6條的條文顯示“unit”或“units”可以獲得水的供應和獲得獨立水錶的安裝,或與別的“units”共同擁有水錶的。這清楚顯示 “unit”或“units”不會是停車位,因為停車位是與水的供應無關,亦沒有人會替停車位安裝水錶,祇有處所才需要水的供應,因而需要水錶的安裝,以作計算水費之用。停車位祇是讓私家車停泊的一個固定的地方而己,因此第4(f)及4(g)條是不適用於停車位的條文,而大廈公契亦沒有任何一條條款是有關向停車位的業主收取管理費的,所以答辯人 對申請人收取停車位的管理費是沒有法律的根據的。

3.6答辯人是按《建築物管理條例》(“條例”)第19條作出上述押記的,第19條有以下的條文 :

“(1) 如公契規定,業主如沒有繳付公契所訂應付的 任何款項,某人即可將該業主的土地權益出售,或於土地註冊處針對該業主的權益註冊一項押記,則儘管公契的條文有所規定,法團而非該人亦可循同樣方式,受同樣條件的限 制,行使上述出售土地權益或註冊押記的權力,猶如法團乃公契所提述的人一樣。

(2) 第(1)款所提述的“沒有繳付公契所訂應付的任何款項”,須解作包括及業主沒有繳付管理委員會有關其行使第40(1)(a)(ii)或(b)條所賦的權力而承付的費用。”

(原文無底線)

條例第40(1)(a)(ii)或(b)條是與管理費無關的條文。

3.7公契第14條賦予大廈的經理人或業主對業主的土地權益作出註押的權利。以下是該條的條文 :

"If any of the owners shall fail to contribute his due proportion of any expenses to be incurred in accordance with a resolution validly passed under Clause 13 hereof within two weeks from the date of a notice from the Manager or the other owners or any of them requiring the same to be paid then the Manager or the owners serving such notice may proceed to carry out the work so resolved to be done and the defaulting owner shall on demand repay to the Manager or the other owners his due proportion of the costs and expenses thereof and until such repayment the said due proportion of the costs and expenses or such part thereof as shall remain unpaid shall be a charge upon the share and interest of the defaulting owner of and in the said premises and the said building."

(原文無底線)

公契第13條是有關佔有不少於1/10份數的業主召開業主大會的條 文。按第14條的規定,大廈的經理人或其他業主有權對欠繳交款項的業主的土地權益註冊一項押記。該筆款項是該業主須為大會決議進行 “the work”所須分擔的款項。

3.8公契並無對“the work”定下釋義。該些款項是否屬於第4(g)條涵蓋的款項?第4(g)條指明該款項(即管理費)是須向經理人繳交 的,但第14條指述的款項可向經理人或其他業主繳付。如果有關的費 用是管理費,該些費用怎會向其他業主繳付?第4(g)條並無任何有關通知的規定,但第14條繳款的先決條件是在接獲通知繳款通知後,有關的業主才須繳款。很明顯,第14條所指的“work”並非是經常性須進行的,故此有關這些工作的費用亦因此不是經常性的支出,但第4(g)條所指的管理費是經常性的開支,因此第14條的款項並不是與管理費有關的支出。

3.9本案的証據清楚顯示答辯人是以申請人欠交管理費而並非因為違反公契第14條的規定而將她在第17以及第18號車位的土地權益註冊押記的,但第14條並不適用於本案,因而答辯人便無權這樣做。

3.10基於上述的理由,本席裁決申請人的第1.1項申請得直。

4.第1.2項申請

申請人並無繳付第1.2項所提述的管理費。她說該些管理費是她的租客(第17號停車位的租客)所繳付的,她亦沒有該租客授權提出本案的申請,故此(向申請人)歸還管理費之事並不存在。

5.第1.3項申請

申請人是以2002年11月27日的信作為這項申請的依據的。在信中,她向答辯人的經理人(Housing Management Agency Ltd.)提出以下的要求 :

"Re: LDBM 247/2002 & LDBM 270/2002
Carpark Nos 17 & 18 of
320 Price Edward Road West Kowloon

We refer to the above matters and writing to request you to forward to us a copy of the account history of the above premises commencing from the appointment of your company as building manager.

In addition, please forward all debit note, receipt, or any other notice of meeting, etc. to the address below."

(原文無底線)

5.1第1.3項申請是按條例附表7第1段第(7)節提出的。第(7)節規定 :

“如有任何業主以書面要求經理人向他提供任何預算案、預算或修訂預算的副本,則經理人在收取合理的副本費後,須向該人提供副本一份。”

2002年11月27日的信是有關帳目歷史(account history)的要求,而不是有關預算的要求,故此第(7)節是不適用於這項申請。

6.基於上述的理由,本席頒令 :

1. 答辯人須在30天內自費將上述第17及第18號車位的押記令除去;

2. 第1.2項申請被撤銷;

3. 第1.3項申請被撤銷。

周兆熊法官
土地審裁處

申請人:親自應訊。 (無律師代表)

答辯人:缺席。 (無律師代表)