Landlords warned over evictions as Hong Kong subdivided-flat consultation starts
Government proposes new laws that only allow registered subdivided flats that meet certain criteria to remain on the rental market
Hong Kong authorities pledged to seriously follow up on complaints of forced removal of tenants from subdivided flats, as a two-month consultation on a regulatory regime to wipe out poor quality housing started on Monday.
The government earlier proposed drafting new laws that would only allow registered subdivided flats – known as “basic housing units” – that met certain criteria to remain on the rental market, while landlords who violated the regulations could face up to three years in jail.
A number of lawmakers expressed concern at a meeting of the Legislative Council’s housing panel on Monday that some landlords might illegally chase out tenants to conduct renovations before the regulations were finalised.
“Even before the enactment of the legislation, owners have already started to renovate their flats,” lawmaker Dominic Lee Tsz-king of the New People’s Party said.
“We do not know whether they are intentional or unintentional in evicting the tenants, but it has made the tenants very anxious. How will the government protect the evicted tenants?”
Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong Wai-lun responded: “We have repeatedly emphasised that tenancy control regulations cover the rights of the tenants.
