The average waiting time for long and short-term general applicants for subsidised public rental housing in Hong Kong had fallen to 4.7 years as of March, authorities said, marking the first time it has dropped below five years under the current administration. Despite the decrease in the “composite figure”, which included light public flats, the…
Hong Kong authorities have formally issued buy-back offer letters to homeowners at the fire-ravaged Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, giving them until 31 August to decide whether to accept a government buy-back offer under a long-term resettlement plan. The letters were sent to all homeowners on Thursday, including those who had previously said they…
Hong Kong lawmakers have called for a rethink of a government scheme to develop homes for the elderly, days after the city’s second largest public housing provider revealed it would stop building homes targeting senior residents for the coming 10 years. Lawmaker Andrew Lam Siu-lo of the Legislative Council’s housing panel said on Monday that…
Hong Kong authorities may widen support to cover more younger elderly residents to bolster protection, the welfare minister has said, calling current efforts to identify at-risk seniors “just the beginning” as the city reels from two tragedies in a week. Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han told the South China Morning Post that…
The competition could intensify at tenders for Hong Kong’s residential plots as developers replenish their land banks amid a recovering property market, with the tug of war testing their financial discipline as they bid for parcels at a “noticeable premium”, according to S&P Global Ratings, though some analysts believe that the return of confidence is…
Homeowners of the only block undamaged in the deadly Wang Fuk Court inferno who decline the government’s buy-back offer will face significant challenges in the management and maintenance of their properties in the long run, Hong Kong authorities have warned. Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong Wai-lun said on Wednesday that while the government respected homeowners’…
Nearly 80 per cent of homeowners of the only block spared in the deadly Wang Fuk Court blaze in Hong Kong have expressed an initial willingness to sell their flats to the government, exceeding the three-quarters threshold set by authorities to extend a resettlement plan to them. Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong Wai-lun said on…
Hong Kong’s second-biggest public housing provider will gradually expand the supply of its subsidised sale flats, aiming for them to account for 40 per cent of its home supply in future projects. Hong Kong Housing Society chairman Ling Kar-kan said on Saturday the move was to meet residents’ strong desire to own their homes. In…
A Hong Kong charity is attempting to fast-track the supply of guide dogs for the blind by breeding a Labrador with a golden retriever for the first time, as only 10 per cent of applicants for canines were ready for immediate pairing. Jasmine Tang Yau-sheung, head of operations with Hong Kong Seeing Eye Dog Services,…
Hong Kong’s housing authorities will expand the use of smart technologies, such as door sensors, in-home fall detectors and stair climbers, to enhance safety and convenience for elderly residents at public estates as the city’s population ages. Michael Hong Wing-kit, deputy director of housing overseeing estate management, said a pilot scheme to install sensors, which…