Estimated public rental housing allocation for 2019-20
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The Subsidised Housing Committee (SHC) of the Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA) today (June 21) approved the estimated public rental housing (PRH) allocation for 2019-20. The Committee was also briefed on the actual allocation in 2018-19.
For the year of 2018-19, it was originally estimated that 34 800 flats could be allocated. The actual allocation was 34 679 flats (i.e. the number of housing offers accepted and flats taken up by applicants in or before March 2019), achieving a target rate of 99.7 per cent.
In 2019-20, it is estimated that a total of about 24 100 PRH flats, comprising about 10 500 new flats and about 13 600 refurbished flats, will be available for allocating to different categories of applicants. Among them, the largest portion will go to PRH applicants with about 16 870 flats (70 per cent) to be allocated to them.
"In the past five years, from 2014-15 to 2018-19, the average annual actual allocation of public housing flats was about 26 800, similar to the 2019-20 estimation," a spokesman for the HA said.
"The 2019-20 estimation is not an upper limit. We will endeavour to allocate more than the estimated number of flats to PRH applicants within the year if possible, such as in the event that any new PRH estate is completed ahead of schedule.
"We will also closely monitor the actual allocation figures of other categories to ensure any surplus of demanded flats could be allocated to PRH applicants before the close of the year."
Of the 16 870 flats, 1 687 flats are estimated to be allocated to non-elderly one-person applicants under the Quota and Points System (QPS). The number is based on the annual allocation quota for this category of applicant, which is set at 10 per cent of the total number of flats to be allocated to PRH applicants, subject to a cap of 2 200 flats.
"If the actual supply of PRH flats turns out to be less than estimated, we will keep the number of flats allocated to QPS applicants to not more than 10 per cent of the total number of flats to be allocated to PRH applicants," the spokesman said.
Apart from the category of PRH applicants, 2 000 flats will be reserved for Compassionate Rehousing in 2019-20.
"This figure is not an upper limit, and where resources permit we will follow the established policy to handle all demands for rehousing as recommended by the Social Welfare Department," the spokesman said.
It is estimated that a total of 840 flats will be reserved for the category of clearance rehousing residents affected by clearance projects planned by different departments, including development and clearance exercises in Wang Chau and Kwu Tung North/Fanling North New Development Areas and the Urban Renewal Authority's redevelopment projects.
Moreover, an estimated number of 3 300 flats will be set aside for various transfer purposes, including the transfer of under-occupation households, transfer of elderly under-occupation households on full rent exemption, the Territory-wide Overcrowding Relief Transfer Exercise and the Living Space Improvement Transfer Scheme, and special transfer for individual tenants on medical and/or social grounds.
"Following the completion of the arrangement for increasing the quota for the Civil Service Public Housing Quota Scheme for four consecutive years from 2015-16 to 2018-19, the quota for this category is reverted back to about 1 000 flats in 2019-20," the spokesman said.
"We will closely monitor any changes in the circumstances and will remain flexible in the allocation of PRH flats to ensure optimisation of resources," he added.
(Please refer to the attached table on the breakdown of estimated allocation for different categories of applicants in 2019-20.)
Ends/Friday, June 21, 2019
Issued at HKT 18:47
Issued at HKT 18:47
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