Hong Kong authorities reclaim 15,500 public rental flats in 2023-24 financial year

A fifth of recovered flats resulted from mandatory income and assets declarations, says Director of Housing Rosanna Law

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Shek Kip Mei Estate, Hong Kong’s first public housing estate in Sham Shui Po. The Housing Authority said 15,500 public rental flats were reclaimed last financial year. Photo: Sam Tsang

Published: 7:55pm, 13 Oct 2024Updated: 2:54am, 14 Oct 2024

Hong Kong authorities reclaimed about 15,500 public rental flats in the 2023-24 financial year, with close to a fifth resulting from mandatory declarations to tackle misuse of government resources, a senior housing official has revealed.

Director of Housing Rosanna Law Shuk-pui said on Sunday that government checks on the income and assets of more than 250,000 tenants in April had also resulted in 45 households so far being ordered to vacate their public flats after they had failed to make mandatory declarations. Some of the 45 households intended to appeal, she added.

Law also said the government’s success in retrieving flats under the declaration mechanism, which was introduced last October, could be attributed to a consensus in society.

“People who do not live in public housing think from the perspective of societal resources. Public housing is a public resource … it should be allocated reasonably and fairly,” she told a radio programme.

The mechanism was introduced to prevent abuse after Kwong Kau, the former father-in-law of murdered model Abby Choi Tin-fung, was discovered last year to have owned a luxury home while also buying a subsidised flat.

Those who own a private flat, or surpass income or asset limits have to give up their public rental homes.

Director of Housing Rosanna Law said the government’s success in retrieving public rental flats could be attributed to a consensus in society. Photo: Jelly Tse