The Office of the Ombudsman recently initiated a proactive investigation into the arrangements made by the Housing Department and the Housing Society regarding the recovery, renovation, and reallocation of public housing units, proposing 19 recommendations.

The Housing Department stated today (Feb. 20) that it will carefully examine and consider these recommendations, continuing to seriously address and periodically review the processes for the recovery, renovation, and allocation of public housing units, to quickly reallocate recovered units to those in need.

The Housing Department emphasized its high regard for the procedures for recovering, renovating, and allocating public housing units and its commitment to optimizing these processes to enhance efficiency and expedite unit turnover. To this end, it has implemented several optimization measures, including pre-allocating eligible public housing applicants to vacant units undergoing renovation so that applicants can move in immediately upon completion of the renovation.

Additionally, the Housing Department plans to expand the scope of the Vacant Flat Refurbishment Allowance Scheme to include all vacant units regardless of age by November 2024, providing prospective tenants with a subsidy equivalent to three months' rent, which can be flexibly used.

The Housing Department also indicated that to expedite the handling of cases of public housing abuse, the Appeal Panel has streamlined its processing procedures and increased the number of hearings since mid-2022, reducing the average time from appeal to decision from four months in 2022 to less than two months in the first half of last year.

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