Hong Kong’s leader will unveil two bold initiatives on housing and mediation in his policy address, the South China Morning Post has learned, with the government planning to boost home ownership rates among young couples and prioritise settling official commercial disputes through the city’s mediation body. The new measures, to be unveiled by Chief Executive…
Hong Kong authorities have rolled out 11 new initiatives to encourage residents to have children, including an expanded cash bonus scheme and a reduced down payment for subsidised housing for parents with newborns. In the latest policy address delivered on Wednesday, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu announced that the HK$20,000 (US$2,550) newborn bonus scheme, expiring…
Hong Kong’s Buildings Department has filed 259 charges against two companies and four individuals over major renovation works at the inferno-ravaged Wang Fuk Court, after investigations found non-fire-retardant materials were used and safety obligations were not met. The department said on Wednesday that the charges included allegedly permitting or authorising the use of substandard materials…
Some residents displaced by Hong Kong’s deadliest inferno in decades have called for merging the Housing Bureau’s Independent Checking Unit (ICU) with the Buildings Department, after a public inquiry revealed regulatory failures linked to communication problems between the two arms with similar functions. In recommendations submitted to the independent committee investigating the Wang Fuk Court…
Hong Kong’s public housing conversation is often dominated by a single anxious question: how long do you have to wait for a home? Today, the answer is starting to change. The average waiting time for a general applicant for subsidised public rental housing has fallen to 4.7 years, a shift that feels small on paper…
Donald Liao Poon-huai, one of Hong Kong’s most influential government architects and public housing visionaries who became the first Chinese official under British rule to serve as secretary for district administration, has died at the age of 96. His death was confirmed to the South China Morning Post by his family on Friday, with one…
The Hong Kong government is set to unveil a resettlement plan for owners who lost their homes in the deadly Wang Fuk Court fire in Tai Po as early as Saturday, offering buy-back options at higher-than-expected prices, the South China Morning Post has learned. Government sources said the acquisition prices for properties without land premiums…
When Hong Kong’s Housing Authority launched the Tenants Purchase Scheme (TPS) in 1998, it embodied the city’s aspiration of home ownership for all. Then the chief executive, Tung Chee-hwa, envisioned public housing tenants buying their flats at a discount, transforming renters into homeowners. That year, the first batch of 25,000 flats was rolled out. In…
Members of Hong Kong’s Housing Authority have urged the government to clarify how a proposal to resettle residents displaced by the deadly Wang Fuk Court fire in Tai Po at a site designated for public rental flats will not impact the thousands currently on the waiting list. They made the call on Monday during a…
Hong Kong’s residential property market closed 2025 on a strong note, with transactions climbing to a six-month high in December, fuelled by demand for low-priced units even as values fell. A total of 5,883 deals were completed last month, up 5.3 per cent month on month and an increase of 43.4 per cent year on…