The government has proposed amendments to strengthen measures against the abuse of public housing, including a suggestion to criminalize severe abuses, with penalties of up to HK$500,000 and one year of imprisonment.

Secretary for Housing Ms. Winnie Ho emphasized that the amendments target residents who use public housing units as "commercial tools" without actually residing in them.

During a Legislative Council committee meeting, Leung Yuk-wai raised concerns about whether residents providing tutoring or music lessons in their units would violate the law. Meanwhile, Chan Hok-fung from the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong expressed worries that residents might be unjustly targeted. He cited scenarios where non-resident children register their parents' public housing address for small business operations, questioning if this would be considered abuse of public housing.

Ho clarified that if residents use their units for commercial activities, such as running a tutoring center, it could violate their lease agreements, allowing authorities to issue eviction notices. She noted that the appeals committee would assess cases reasonably, citing that many "new generation" individuals create and sell their works from home, which would not be viewed as misusing their units.

Ho emphasized that the amendments aim to ensure the proper use of public housing resources and are not intended to evict residents. She believes that criminalizing severe abuses will help officials execute their duties more effectively. The authorities aim to submit the legislative proposal to the Legislative Council for review by the second quarter of this year.

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