Kwai Chung subdivided unit tenants urge resettlement plans, rent caps after Hong Kong announces phase-out plan
Hong Kong Free Press
A group of Kwai Chung subdivided unit tenants have called on the government to resettle those displaced when the authorities begin phasing out “substandard” subdivided housing.
The Kwai Chung Subdivided Units Kai Fong Association, a group of tenants and housing activists based around the industrial district, on Monday made their demands, calling for rent caps and comprehensive resettlement plans at a press conference held days after Chief Executive John Lee proposed new rules for subdivided housing.
Delivering his third Policy Address last Wednesday, Lee announced a plan to phase out subdivided flats smaller than eight square metres, along with those lacking a window and toilet.
The Kwai Chung concern group said the government needed to set a per capita limit on floorspace, as a family of four living in a subdivided unit measuring roughly eight square metres would only have about two square metres per person.
Such a small space would “seriously” affect residents’ mental and physical health, while relationships between family members could also suffer, the concern group said.
Lee said last week that the lack of such a limit would allow for “flexibility,” for instance, if a couple living in a subdivided welcomed a child into the family.
Rent caps and resettlement
The Kwai Chung group also called for a cap on initial rents, as the resulting shortage in flats was expected to lead to a price surge. “Residents are concerned that landlords will also seek to recoup renovation costs by hiking rents,” said Poon Wing-shan, a social worker with the Kwai Chung association.
Current laws only limit the increment or rent rises, not the initial price charged.
Other groups, including the Society for Community Organization and the Concerning Subdivided Units Alliance, have called for initial rent caps to be calculated based on each flat’s rental value as stipulated by the Rating and Valuation Department.
Lee has proposed a registration period lasting between 12 and 18 months, after which landlords will be given a grace period lasting one to two years to bring their flats up to the legal standard.
The Kwai Chung association said that window was too long, calling on the authorities to increase efficiency, under the pretext of having sufficient resettlement measures.
Tenants living in subdivided flats that are up to standard are worried that they will also have to move out if neighbouring units found to be subpar had to be renovated, said Tai Long-tat, a member of the association.
The group called for a comprehensive resettlement plan and rental subsidies for those who will be displaced, including those who are not queueing for public housing and those who do not hold a Hong Kong identity card.
See also: The infamous ‘coffin homes’ that Hong Kong’s new housing reforms won’t touch
The association suggested resettling tenants in the same district, instead of temporary housing estates in areas far removed from their usual communities. The government could rehouse tenants in empty public housing units or transitional housing estates in the vicinity.
The government has thus far not mentioned resettlement policies. Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong, who heads the government task force on subdivided units, said last Thursday that those who were not in the queue for public housing would have the option to live in subdivided units that are up to the legal standard.
“As long as residents are affected by the regulation, they should be entitled to resettlement. Hong Kong needs a set of humane arrangements that accounts for all residents,” the association said.
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