Advocacy groups and tenants have urged Hong Kong authorities to adjust proposals for regulating below-standard subdivided flats, calling for bigger minimum sizes and permanent resettlement as a public consultation ended.
Some tenants on Monday also said they had been evicted as their landlords had told them they needed to renovate their flats to meet the proposed government requirements.
The government earlier proposed drafting new laws allowing only registered subdivided flats – known as “basic housing units” – that met certain criteria to remain on the rental market. Landlords who violated the regulations could face up to three years in jail.
Under the suggested standards, basic housing units would require a minimum size of 86 sq ft (eight square metres), a ceiling height of 2.3 metres, proper windows and at least one toilet per subdivided home. The flats must also meet fire and structural safety requirements.
The public consultation, which started in December, ended on Monday.
Part-time security guard Sy Kiheo, 68, said he and his wife had been living in a subdivided flat in Kwun Tong for two years but were asked to move out in December as the owner told them he needed to carry out renovations to meet the proposed standards.
