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Vivian Au

Hong Kong public housing tenants who rent out their flats on the sly will face up to a year in prison under a government proposal to amend the law to minimise the abuse of housing resources, the Post has learned.
A government source said on Tuesday that the legal changes proposed would be submitted for lawmakers’ discussion next month and could be expected to take effect before mid-2026.
“The new arrangement would target all tenants, including anyone assisting in the commercial rental of these flats, including agents,” the source said.
Under one of the proposed amendments to the Housing Ordinance, dividing a public flat and subletting the space to other tenants or using it for commercial purposes would be classified as a serious abuse of public housing.
The proposed maximum penalty covers a fine of HK$500,000 (US$64,230) and a one-year jail sentence. But the proposal, if passed into law, will not be imposed retroactively.
The source said the change would increase the deterrent effect in cases where tenants used public rental flats for profit.
“We hope society can prepare for this, as the law carries serious consequences,” the insider said.
Other proposed amendments include authorising designated personnel to check personal information, such as ID cards and phone numbers of tenants suspected of violating the ordinance.
It is currently an offence to withhold information or make false statements in cases of public housing abuse.
Another amendment would extend the time limit for the prosecution of such offences. The period would be lengthened from two years after the crime or within six months of its discovery to a cap of six years after the offence or within a year of being uncovered, whichever comes first.
The source added that authorities would consult the public and finalise details of the proposal at the next stage.

Starting this month, the city’s main public housing provider, the Housing Authority, will also award up to HK$3,000 to individuals who provide information allowing the government to reclaim a misused public rental flat.
Abuse of public housing resources came under the spotlight in October 2023 when Kwong Kau, 66, the former father-in-law of slain model Abby Choi Tin-fung, was found to own a subsidised flat at Sheung Man Court in Kwai Chung, as well as a 1,820 sq ft (169 square metres) unit in the Kadooria housing complex, bought for about HK$73 million.
Over the past two years, authorities have reclaimed about 5,000 public flats from well-off tenants, including some who owned luxury cars or properties across the border.
The number of reclaimed flats was equivalent to a medium-sized public housing estate that would theoretically cost about HK$5 billion to build.
There are currently 122,000 families on the waiting list for a flat, with the average waiting time standing at 5½ years as of the third quarter of last year.
Lawmaker Chan Hok-fung said he expected the proposed changes would not prove controversial, and that the legislative process would go smoothly.
“This is a good time to amend the ordinance and have a deterrent effect,” he said, stressing that most public housing tenants obeyed the law.
The proposed amendments could also help low-income residents to secure a home, Chan said.
The Housing Authority’s subsidised housing committee on Tuesday also approved three measures mentioned in last year’s policy address that would give residents younger than 40 a better chance of buying new and second-hand subsidised flats.
Cleresa Wong Pie-yue, chairwoman of the committee, said such measures would address the younger generation’s home-ownership aspirations.
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu earlier said the new measures would be implemented in the next round of sales under the Home Ownership Scheme to serve families and one-person applicants aged below 40 with “white form” status.
These applicants, who normally lived in private flats and fulfilled certain income and asset requirements, would receive an extra ballot number in draws for flats to raise their chances of buying a new subsidised home.


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Hong Kong’s Un Chau Estate, a public housing estate in Cheung Sha Wan. Photo: Jelly Tse

A man crosses a bridge next to Un Chau Estate in Cheung Sha Wan. Photo: Jelly Tse

Hong Kong to begin handing out HK$3,000 rewards for identifying public housing abuse

Un Chau Estate in Cheung Sha Wan. The Housing Authority will launch the reward scheme next Wednesday. Photo: Jelly Tse

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The 18-block Wah Fu Estate in Pok Fu Lam will be redeveloped. Photo: May Tse

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Hong Kong

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Offenders will face maximum HK$500,000 fine and one year in prison under proposed legal amendment to curb abuse of public housing resources


Offenders will face maximum HK$500,000 fine and one year in prison under proposed legal amendment to curb abuse of public housing resources.


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