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The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Housing Authority:
Ballots were drawn today (October 29) for the new round of the Interim Scheme to Extend the Home Ownership Scheme (HOS) Secondary Market to White Form Buyers to determine the sequence of the last two digits of application numbers held by applicants for conducting detailed vetting.
The Chairman of the Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA) Subsidised Housing Committee, Mr Stanley Wong, officiated at the ballot drawing.
About 43,900 applications were received, with about 19,700 from family applicants and about 24,200 from single person applicants. The quota set under the Interim Scheme is 2,500, with 2,250 allocated to family applicants and 250 to single person applicants. Based on the ballot result, the HA will randomly generate the order of all applicants by computer and will, according to the order, invite applicants through short message service and letter to submit relevant supporting documents within a specified period for detailed vetting to determine whether individual applicants meet the eligibility criteria and their final priority. Applicants should note that the HA will not request any personal data on the telephone.
"The HA will issue Approval Letters to successful applicants according to the quota and their final priority. Holders of the Approval Letter have to collect a Certificate of Eligibility to Purchase (CEP) from the HA and/or the Hong Kong Housing Society (HKHS) within four weeks from the date of the Approval Letter. Should there be any unused quota after expiry of the validity period for collection of the CEP, the HA will, on a one-off basis and in accordance with the random order generated from the ballot result by computer, invite other applicants to submit supporting documents to conduct a final round of detailed vetting in order to allocate the unused quota," a spokesman for the HA said.
"The CEP will be valid for 12 months from the date of issue. A holder of the CEP may enter into a Provisional Agreement for Sale and Purchase for the purchase of a flat with premium not yet paid in the HOS Secondary Market or the HKHS' Flat-for-Sale Scheme Secondary Market within the validity period. No further extension will be granted upon its expiry," the spokesman added.
"Purchasing a flat is an important decision. Applicants should exercise caution and 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," he said.
The ballot results have been uploaded to the HA website at www.housingauthority.gov.hk/mini-site/sms-white-form-2015/common/pdf/ballotresult.pdf .
The random order generated from the ballot result by computer will be uploaded to the HA website tomorrow and displayed at the HA's Customer Service Centre in Lok Fu, Estate Offices and District Tenancy Management Offices of the HA, Rental Estate Offices of the HKHS, the Sham Shui Po Housing Information Centre and Public Enquiry Service Centres of the Home Affairs Department for public inspection. Applicants may also call the HA Hotline 2712 2712 for enquiries.
Ends/Thursday, October 29, 2015
Issued at HKT 16:20
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