The Basic Housing Units (BHUs) Bill is set for its third reading in the Legislative Council (LegCo) this Wednesday (Sept. 24). If passed and implemented, it will phase out substandard, poor-quality subdivided units. However, many subdivided units in Hong Kong are occupied by non-local students who come to the city for studies. A postgraduate student told Wen Wei Po that since universities only provide one year of accommodation, they have to find off-campus housing themselves. However, rents for subdivided units are high, and most do not meet the standards for BHUs.
Liu, who is pursuing a doctoral program in Hong Kong, said that on-campus dormitories are in short supply, forcing her to rent off-campus. She currently lives in a 160-square-foot subdivided unit with a monthly rent of HK$7,000.
"It's both expensive and small. Housing will be a major factor in whether I stay in Hong Kong for future development," she said.
She hopes Hong Kong will provide more dormitory spaces or rental subsidies for "Hong Kong drifters" (non-local residents) to attract external talent to develop their careers in the city.
Affordable rental units
Another non-local doctoral student, Li, also mentioned that since universities only offer one year of accommodation, he has to rent a small but expensive subdivided unit off-campus. He hopes the Hong Kong government will provide units with below-market rents for "Hong Kong drifter" talent.
To understand the living conditions of non-local students, a Wen Wei Po reporter previously searched for rental listings on social media and through real estate agencies. They visited six student dormitories located in subdivided units in old buildings. Most of these units had rents around HK$5,000, and some landlords or agents claimed the rent was negotiable.
These dormitories are essentially typical single-room subdivided units, with varying infrastructures; some were equipped with new furniture but had no elevator, requiring tenants to climb five flights of stairs. Others had elevators, but the systems were outdated—the elevator would shake violently upon reaching a floor, and the ventilation openings inside were worn and peeling, exposing internal components.
Cramped spaces
Some subdivided units, though located in old buildings, were relatively clean and tidy inside. However, in other old buildings, public areas like corridors were piled high with garbage and sundries, posing potential fire hazards. The walls were dilapidated and peeling, revealing rusted steel bars.
Additionally, one subdivided unit was extremely cramped, with poor ventilation and no air conditioning. It only had an old electric fan and no windows.
One bed space rented for HK$5,000 per month, requiring tenants to share a kitchen and toilet with other occupants. The space was only large enough for one person. Another unit was found to have a combined kitchen and toilet—the toilet was on the left, and just one step away on the right was the kitchen, equipped with an induction cooker for cooking. This arrangement does not comply with the future BHUs regulations prohibiting combined kitchen-toilet spaces. Some units had separate toilets and kitchens, but they were small, only accommodating one person.
The most expensive unit visited had a monthly rent of HK$7,000, but it was similarly very cramped, not much larger than the HK$5,000 units. The bed was positioned under a loft staircase, with the area near the stairs too low for a person to sit up. The space beside the bed, obstructed by the stairs, was less than one meter high, requiring one to bend down to enter.
When the reporter lay on the bed, which had only a wooden board, the perspective felt oppressive—opening their eyes, they saw the staircase sloping downward, gradually narrowing.
Tenants of "different backgrounds" raise safety concerns
Regarding the other occupants in these subdivided units, landlords and real estate agents said: "Some are also students who came to Hong Kong to study. Some are the same gender as you, but others are of the opposite gender, living in different rooms within the same unit."
One landlord mentioned that the dormitory rooms are rented out randomly, potentially leading to mixed-gender arrangements. Some units are even rented by low-income workers, raising safety concerns.
Furthermore, in typical property rentals, after a formal tenancy agreement is signed between the landlord and tenant, it is usually stamped with a government seal, making it a legally binding document recognized by the government. However, during this visit, one landlord stated that the rented bed space came with a six-month lease that did not require stamping. This means tenants have no protection; if they encounter unfair treatment, they cannot use the lease as evidence for legal action.
Legislator: Regulatory system to guarantee living conditions
Scott Leung, a LegCo member, noted that if the BHUs regulatory system is implemented, everyone renting such subdivided units in the future—whether Hong Kong citizens, "Hong Kong drifters," or students studying in Hong Kong—will have guarantees regarding safety, hygiene, and basic living conditions.
"The government has set a grace period and a registration period before the system takes effect, allowing time for landlords to make renovations and providing support for residents living in such units. This is believed to avoid a short-term reduction in unit supply and prevent rent increases."
He also said that as Hong Kong develops into an international hub for higher education and an academic-cultural center, it will inevitably attract more non-local students. There is a need to increase dormitory supply, but currently, university hostel places are insufficient.
"In the future, the eight publicly funded institutions will increase non-local student quotas. The Policy Address has already proposed related measures, including converting hotels and commercial buildings into student dormitories, or even reconstructing entire buildings."
(With input from Wen Wei Po; Journalist: Zhang Xian; English Editor: Darius)
Journalist's View | Hesitation of non-local students
By Darius
For many non-local students, Hong Kong is a place with undeniable pros and cons. As an international metropolis, Hong Kong's advantages naturally include high-quality educational resources and high salaries after employment. However, a major factor deterring non-local students from staying in Hong Kong is the housing situation.
As one of the non-local students who came from a major mainland city, I have heard countless complaints from people around me about Hong Kong's housing conditions. Some say the rents are too high, and as students without a stable income, it's really difficult to afford them; even with an income, such high expenses might be hard to tolerate. Others say that compared to their spacious homes, Hong Kong's residential spaces are simply not enough. The combination of these two factors deals a significant blow to non-local students.
At the same time, I have also witnessed how unscrupulous agencies exploit information asymmetry to cheat students and reap large profits. As a result, not only do the deceived students suffer losses, but other students also become wary, thinking that the longer they stay in an unfamiliar environment, the more likely they are to be scammed. Thus, they become hesitant about the future and may even choose to leave Hong Kong immediately after completing their studies.
Faced with inadequate hardware conditions and an environment relatively lacking in information transparency, it is time for the government's "visible hand" to step in and take action.
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