By South China Morning Post | Created at 2024-10-22 05:53:19 | Updated at 2024-10-22 08:37:12
3 hours ago
Landlords of Hong Kong’s subdivided flats will be required to renew their registration every five years as part of wider government efforts to turn the notoriously overcrowded homes into a “regulated new product”, the housing minister has said.
Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho Wing-yin said on Monday that registration for subdivided flats would start before the end of next year, with landlords only required to provide basic information to be granted a grace period to fix problems in the flats.
The grace period, which would last for one to two years, may also be extended on a case-by-case basis, she added.
In the policy address released last Wednesday, authorities laid out plans to phase out substandard subdivided flats and allow only those which were registered and met certain criteria to stay in the market. Those flats would be known as “basic housing units”.
The proposed standards include a minimum size of 86 sq ft (8 square metres) and a ceiling height of two metres (6.6 feet), as well as proper windows and at least one toilet for each home. The flats must also fulfil fire and structural safety requirements.
Hong Kong has 110,000 subdivided flats, 30 per cent of which do not meet the proposed standards. The remaining might require minor fixes.
