Hong Kong gov’t watchdog investigates delays in reallocation of vacant public rental flats
Hong Kong Free Press
Hong Kong’s government watchdog has launched an investigation into delays in the recovery of public rental housing flats, citing a case in which refurbishing works took four times longer than expected.
The Ombudsman said on Thursday that it would probe the Housing Authority and Housing Society’s arrangements in recovering public rental units in line with the government’s goal of increasing housing supply. A quicker recovery process would benefit families in the queue for public housing, the watchdog said in a statement.
The two housing bodies recover and redistribute public flats vacated by their former tenants.
Last year, over 80 per cent of the 23,600 flats allocated by the Housing Authority were recovered flats, the Ombudsman said.
“If [public rental housing] flats are recovered and refurbished in a timely manner for reallocation to the families on the [public rental housing] waiting list as soon as possible, it would not only shorten their waiting time but also enhance their sense of happiness and contentment,” the head of the Ombudsman, Jack Chan, said in the statement.
The Housing Authority’s “key performance indicator” for refurbishing a vacant public rental housing flat was 44 days. But the process has occasionally taken over 100 days to complete, with one case lasting 197 days, the Ombudsman said.
About 30 per cent of Hong Kong’s population lives in public rental housing, in a city known for having of the world’s least affordable housing markets. The high prices leave low-income residents little choice but to rent substandard accommodation, such as subdivided units carved out of flats, often in aging tenement buildings. NGOs have long called attention to the cramped and unhygienic conditions of subdivided units.
Chief Executive John Lee has made addressing the housing crisis a key focus of his administration. The leader has vowed to reduce the wait time for families in the queue for public housing and increase housing supply, including by introducing a transitional housing scheme prioritising those living in substandard housing.
As of the end of June, the average waiting time for public housing flats was 5.5 years, according to the Housing Authority.
The Ombudsman’s investigation also came amid a crackdown on the alleged abuse of public housing units by what the government calls “rich tenants,” or those whose income or assets exceed the limits for tenancy.
Authorities said they would check the value of tenants’ vehicles and whether they own property in the city, in mainland China or overseas, calling it a necessary initiative because of the limited supply of public housing.
The watchdog said that given the enhanced “efforts in combating tenancy abuse,” the number of tenants appealing the termination of their tenancy agreements had increased. As the recovery of public housing units is suspended during an appeal, the Ombudsman said it would look into whether there was room to improve the “workflow” of appeals.
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