Over 50 households in Hong Kong government-subsidised flats face probe for owning properties
Hong Kong Free Press
More than 50 households living in Hong Kong’s government-subsidised units owned properties in the city, the Housing Authority has found after it rolled out a new declaration mechanism last month.
Preliminary responses from declaration forms distributed to 88,000 public housing tenants in early October showed that family members of 59 households owned properties in the city, the Housing Authority announced on Tuesday.
Among the 59 households, four had declared bankruptcy, the statutory body said. It would continue to look into the remaining 55 households, Permanent Secretary for Housing and Director of Housing Rosanna Law said.
New declaration rule
In May, the Subsidised Housing Committee passed a new regulation requiring public housing tenants in Hong Kong to report their living situation and whether they owned any property in the city to the Housing Authority every two years.
The regulation, which came into force in October, also required tenants to report to the Housing Authority within one month after buying a property, and authorise the statutory body and government departments and public institutions to review any information related to the property purchase.
The first batch of declaration forms was distributed to 88,000 public housing tenants in early October and had a response rate of over 85 per cent so far, the Housing Authority said, adding residents should return their forms by the deadline on Thursday.
The 59 households that owned properties in Hong Kong were identified by the Housing Authority when it conducted a random sample check on around 25,000 households that submitted the declaration forms.
The Housing Authority said it would review each declaration carefully to understand why some tenants owned properties in Hong Kong. Some may he involved in the transfer of property ownership, which required processing time, it said.
“If it is confirmed that residents have falsely reported information through fraudulent means, it will be dealt with seriously,” the Housing Authority said.
The next batch of declaration forms is expected to be handed out in April.
“If residents intentionally refuse to submit the forms or it is confirmed that they have abused public housing, the Housing Authority will terminate the tenancy agreement,” the statutory body added.
More than 2,000 units taken back
According to the Housing Authority, around 2,200 public housing units were taken back from tenants in the 2022-23 financial year. That was almost 70 per cent more than the annual average of around 1,300 recorded in the previous two financial years.
Around 800 cases involved occupants who abused public housing resources by leaving the unit empty, allowing people who were not tenants to reside in the unit, using the unit for non-residential purposes and making false statements. Another 800 cases involved tenants whose leases were terminated after they did not pay rent.
Around 70 cases involved tenants who no longer met the criteria for living in public housing units, while the Housing Authority found violation of lease terms in around 500 cases following they launched investigations into units where the occupant passed away. The remaining 30 cases saw tenancy terminated for other reasons.
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