Hong Kong public housing supply to set pace of clampdown on landlords of subpar flats
Deputy financial secretary says timeline for enforcement action under proposed subdivided housing rules to be subject to public rental flat supply
The government will take into account Hong Kong’s supply of public housing and other factors before imposing penalties on landlords who lease subdivided flats that do not meet a proposed tougher code, Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong Wai-lun has said.
A day after delivering his policy address, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu also said the punishment could include a minimum jail term of two years, with three years also a possibility.
In his speech on Wednesday, Lee said only about 30 per cent of the city’s 110,000 subdivided flats were “improper” and would be phased out under coming legislation. A government source later explained that introducing the legislation and completing the registration of subdivided flats that met requirements would take four years.
Defending the proposal, Wong stopped short of giving a time frame for enforcement action, saying it would depend on the public housing supply and additional circumstances.
He said that while 30 per cent of subdivided flats were considered substandard, it did not mean the other 70 per cent were in full compliance with the requirements.
Wong said he believed the larger share of flats could meet the proposed minimum standards after minor works and be certified as “basic housing units”.
