Field notes
When the Estate Office and Accounts Disagree on Vacancy
Disagreement usually starts with cut-off dates. Accounts may close vacancy at month-end while the estate office updates a whiteboard mid-week. Before reconciling numbers, agree the date both teams will use.
Next, align unit codes. Older buildings in Hong Kong often carry legacy flat letters that no longer match door plates after subdivision. We list every code that appears in only one file and ask the estate office to confirm whether those units still exist.
Only after the inventory matches do we compare occupied status. Payment received is not the same as a live tenancy; deposits and arrears arrangements confuse the picture if they are treated as occupancy proofs.
The memo we leave behind names unresolved mismatches rather than forcing a false total. Owners prefer an honest short list over a tidy figure that nobody trusts next month.