A tourist who was seriously scalded while staying in a Hong Kong flat she had booked through accommodation sharing website Airbnb was awarded HK$2.63 million (US$335,070) by a court on Friday. “The common duty of care ... required the defendant to maintain the water pipe connected to the hot water tank,” he wrote in his ruling. The incident took place on the family’s first evening in the Mong Kok flat. The legality of almost all Airbnb rentals in Hong Kong is questionable due to the city’s law that governs leases of a short-term nature. Under Hong Kong law, premises that offer sleeping accommodation for a fee for a period of less than 28 days must be licensed.

Source: The Star May 18, 2019 12:11 UTC