Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho said in a radio program today (Feb. 16) that consideration could be given to extending the grace period for "Basic Housing Units" from one to two years to three years, and that the bureau would examine whether there was any room for adjustment after studying the views received during the consultation period, reiterating that it was striving to enact legislation within this year.
Ho pointed out that the proposals received included the introduction of a "starting rent" and the requirement of a "per capita area", but she said that if the area was increased but the rent was to be leveled off, it would certainly be a contradiction in terms for landlords in a commercial society.
Regarding the suggestion that not all sub-divided units could be retrofitted with windows, she suggested replacing them with exhaust fans or windows facing light wells. Ho opined that replacing the windows with ventilating fans would mean that the tenants would continue to live in a "box house", which is too far away from a reasonable living environment.
Ho also said that if the "lightwell" proposal is to be considered, it is necessary to think about what conditions need to be met, such as at least access to clear the garbage, have a certain area, and the air should be circulated.
She said the Housing Bureau would categorize the proposals received and is now analyzing them to see how the original proposal can be revised.
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