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The following is issued on behalf of the Housing Authority:
The Housing Department began to issue letters to all public housing tenants today (July 30) informing them of their new rent from September this year. A rent waiver will also be introduced at the same time for the month of September.
The rent adjustment followed the adoption by the Housing Authority's Subsidised Housing Committee of a report by the Commissioner for Census and Statistics that depicted an upward adjustment of 4.68% in the income index of public rental housing (PRH) tenants in 2009 compared to that of 2007.
According to the Housing Ordinance Section 16(A), the Housing Authority (HA) should effect the new rent as soon as practicable.
"In view of the fact that PRH tenants may not have benefited yet from the economic recovery, the Subsidised Housing Committee also decided, as a special and one-off measure, the introduction of a one-month rent waiver for the month of September this year," an HA spokesman said.
For tenants who are paying additional rents, the rent waiver will only cover the net rent. They will still have to pay the portion of their additional rent.
PRH tenants who are recipients of Comprehensive Social Security Assistance will not be affected because their rents are paid by the Government to the HA direct.
The spokesman said: "The HA has in place a Rent Assistance Scheme for tenants who face temporary financial difficulty, under which eligible households can have their rent reduced by up to 50%. To render prompt assistance to those in need, the Housing Department has expedited the application process and stepped up publicity. The Housing Department will also remind tenants with rent arrears of the availability of this scheme."
At present, the average monthly PRH rent is $1,331. An upward adjustment of 4.68% means an increase of $62 on average, while the actual increases range from $11 to $157 per month.
Ends/Friday, July 30, 2010
Issued at HKT 16:01
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