Some elderly landlords in Hong Kong have said they cannot afford renovations costing as much as HK$400,000 (US$51,060) to ensure their subdivided flats comply with new regulations and they may be forced to take units that rent for HK$3,000 a month off the market. At a media session on Friday, four landlords owning subdivided flats…
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…
Thirty-five families living in Hong Kong’s subdivided units have faced eviction in the two and a half months since the government rolled out a new regime to eradicate substandard shoebox homes, according to housing authorities. Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho Wing-yin also said on Wednesday that another 40 subdivided flat households from Yee Wa Building…
Landlords of more than 5,500 subdivided homes in Hong Kong have applied for a three-year grace period to meet size, safety and hygiene requirements following a new law on basic housing standards taking effect six weeks ago. Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho Wing-yin said on Saturday that the government had received applications for 5,557 subdivided…
Hongkonger Chan Sai-chiu considers the 60 sq ft subdivided flat he rents to be home, going out of his way to make the cramped space in Sham Shui Po’s ageing Yee Wa Building more liveable by repainting the walls and setting up his own kitchen. The 72-year-old considers the flat’s HK$3,000 (US$383) rent to be…
Around 4,200 transitional homes will be sufficient to meet the temporary housing needs of tenants displaced under new rules that could require 33,000 subpar subdivided flats to undergo major renovations, Hong Kong officials have said. Undersecretary for Housing Victor Tai Sheung-shing told lawmakers on Monday that the government would set aside up to 20 per…