By Chris Ip Ngo-tung
Hong Kong is densely populated with limited land, and housing issues have long bothered its residents. Now, addressing these housing problems has become a key focus for successive administrations.
The current administration adheres to the governance philosophy of "Enhance Speed, Quantity, Quality and Efficiency," significantly boosting housing supply and introducing the Basic Housing Units policy to eliminate substandard subdivided flats. If the government implements comprehensive economic and housing support measures flexibly and in phases, it can greatly improve the living conditions of grassroots citizens, gradually moving away from poor-quality subdivided flats and promoting social integration.
To alleviate the burden on grassroots citizens and ensure a smooth transition to Basic Housing Units, the government needs to provide more robust economic support measures. The Basic Housing Units policy may lead to rent increases for compliant units, so the government should expedite legislation to regulate a "starting rent" mechanism to prevent landlords from passing renovation costs onto tenants. Additionally, there should be strong promotion of the "Trial Scheme on Special Allowance for Households of Light Public Housing," allowing eligible tenants to receive a one-time relocation subsidy. The trial period of this scheme should be extended, and the application criteria and coverage expanded to relieve economic pressure on more affected families.
The government must also improve the placement policies and transitional support for grassroots citizens. Plenty of grassroots tenants are concerned that moving to remote areas would affect their employment and children's education. Therefore, the government should prioritize providing transitional housing or Light Public Housing units within the same district and enhance urban land consolidation, such as utilizing vacant school buildings or industrial buildings for temporary residences to address immediate needs. The completion speed of existing transitional housing projects should be accelerated, and the residency period extended to avoid residents having to move again in the short term. The government should prioritize allocating Light Public Housing or transitional housing to vulnerable groups, such as the elderly, single-parent families, or persons with disabilities, while integrating social resources to provide relocation assistance, job referrals, and school transfer services, establishing a "one-stop" relocation support service and creating a dedicated department to handle disputes arising from placements.
For bed spaces and partitioned flats with worse living conditions, the government should also consider regulation. This could involve establishing a "per capita living space" standard, such as a minimum of 5 square meters per person, to prevent overcrowding. For special cases, such as subdivided flats in industrial buildings, specific regulations should be set rather than uniformly applying an 8 square meter standard to avoid a "one-size-fits-all" approach.
To prevent affected citizens from being caught off guard, the government should adopt a "zoned and phased" strategy to gradually implement the plan. This approach can avoid a concentrated crackdown on subdivided flats in specific areas, such as starting with the densely populated Yau Tsim Mong district and executing measures based on building age or violation severity to minimize market disruption. According to the 2024 Policy Address, 189,000 public housing units will be added in the next five years, and the government could align this with the development of the Northern Metropolis to gradually guide population movement to the New Territories, alleviating congestion in urban areas.
Basic Housing Units is not only an upgrade in living space but also a reflection of the government's care for its citizens. With a strategic "combination approach," the government can break the deadlock of Hong Kong's housing issues. It is hoped that affected citizens can actively participate in the policies and jointly witness the transformation of Hong Kong from governance to prosperity, allowing every citizen to enjoy a comfortable and dignified home.
The author is the Secretary General of DAB.
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