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The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Housing Authority:
Application for the new round of the Interim Scheme to Extend the Home Ownership Scheme (HOS) Secondary Market to White Form (WF) Buyers will start tomorrow (August 26). The quota for this round is 2 500, with 2 250 allocated to family applicants and 250 to single person applicants. The Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA) is inviting eligible persons to submit applications by September 8.
"In case of oversubscription, the HA will conduct a ballot to determine the sequence of the last two digits of application numbers held by applicants and will, based on the ballot result, randomly generate the order of all family and single person applicants by computer. The HA will then invite applicants according to such order to submit relevant supporting documents for detailed vetting to determine whether individual applicants meet the eligibility criteria and their final priority. After completion of detailed vetting, the HA will issue Approval Letters to successful applicants. Depending on the type of flat they intend to purchase, successful applicants may, within four weeks from the date of issue of the Approval Letter, collect the Certificate of Eligibility to Purchase (CEP) from the HA and/or the Hong Kong Housing Society (HS) upon payment of the necessary fee. They may purchase a subsidised sale flat without payment of premium in the HA's HOS Secondary Market or the HS' Flat-for-Sale Scheme (FFSS) Secondary Market within the 12-month validity period of the CEP," a spokesman for the HA said today (August 25).
The spokesman added, "Applicants are reminded that supporting documents such as income, asset and relationship proof are not required at the time of submitting the application form. The HA will, according to the random order generated from the ballot result by computer, notify the applicants in writing to submit the relevant supporting documents by mail or by hand to the HA Customer Service Centre in Lok Fu within a specified period for detailed vetting. Applicants should also note that the HA will not request any personal data on the telephone."
Under the new round of the Interim Scheme, the income limit for family applicants is $48,000 per month and the asset limit is $1,600,000. The income and asset limits for single person applicants are $24,000 per month and $800,000 respectively. WF buyers are not allowed to sell their flats with premium not yet paid on the HOS Secondary Market or FFSS Secondary Market in the first two years after they have purchased the flats. However, owners can at any time sell the flats in the open market after payment of premium.
"Prior to the submission of applications, applicants should consider factors such as their own financial ability, the situation of the property market and mortgage interest rates so as to make a proper decision," the spokesman said.
During the application period from tomorrow to September 8, application forms and guides can be obtained at the HA Customer Service Centre in Lok Fu, Estate Offices or District Tenancy Management Offices of the HA, Rental Estate Offices of the HS, the Sham Shui Po Housing Information Centre and the Public Enquiry Service Centres of the Home Affairs Department. The materials can also be downloaded from the HA/HD website (www.housingauthority.gov.hk). Interested parties can also call the HA Hotline on 2712 2712 for enquiries.
Ends/Tuesday, August 25, 2015
Issued at HKT 15:00
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