Commencement of flat selections for Sale of Home Ownership Scheme Flats 2023 and live-in requirements for subsidised sale flats
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Flat selections for Sale of Home Ownership Scheme (HOS) Flats 2023 (HOS 2023) of the Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA) will commence from January 31. Meanwhile, the HA reminds owners of subsidised sale flats (SSFs) about the live-in requirements of their flats.
Arrangements of flat selections for HOS 2023
"Flat selections for HOS 2023 will commence from January 31. The HA will invite eligible applicants in batches to select flats for sale under HOS 2023 according to the priority under the respective application category at the designated time at the Housing Authority Customer Service Centre (HACSC) in Lok Fu," a spokesman for the HA said.
Flats for sale under HOS 2023 include a total of 9 154 flats from six new HOS developments (Kai Yuet Court in Kai Tak; On Ying Court, On Lai Court and On Wah Court in Kwun Tong; Siu Tsui Court in Tuen Mun and Long Tin Court in Yuen Long); about 60 rescinded flats from Kam Chun Court in Ma On Shan and Kai Cheung Court in Diamond Hill sold under HOS 2020 as well as Yu Nga Court in Tung Chung and Yu Tak Court in Sha Tin sold under HOS 2022; and a new batch of about 400 recovered Tenants Purchase Scheme (TPS) flats .
"Sales brochures (and sales pamphlets for recovered TPS flats) covering greater details and price lists will be made available for public collection at the HACSC in Lok Fu and for viewing on the HA/Housing Department (HD)'s designated websites starting seven days before commencement up to the end of the flat selection period for HOS 2023. Project models on the new developments and doll houses of HOS typical flats, virtual videos of samples of HOS flats, virtual reality tours of the interior of samples of recovered TPS flats, exhibition panels and other information on HOS developments and TPS estates will be available for public viewing at the HACSC in Lok Fu and on the HA/HD's designated websites," the spokesman said.
During the flat selection period, photos and video clips of the interior of all recovered TPS flats for sale will be provided at the HACSC in Lok Fu and on the HA/HD's designated websites. Arrangements will be made with relevant stakeholders to facilitate the viewing of the recovered TPS flats put up for sale under HOS 2023 as far as practicable.
Mortgage arrangements
The HA Subsidised Housing Committee earlier endorsed the relaxation of the mortgage arrangements for SSFs, allowing purchasers to obtain mortgage loans for a longer term. For SSFs sold on the primary market, the maximum mortgage default guarantee period will be extended from 25 years to 30 years for TPS flats; and the maximum mortgage repayment period from 25 years to 30 years for new HOS/Green Form Subsidised Home Ownership Scheme projects and TPS flats. The relaxation will be applicable to the six new HOS developments and recovered TPS flats for sale under HOS 2023.
Live-in requirements for SSFs
The HA would like to remind owners of the live-in requirements for all SSFs, including HOS flats. According to the Agreement for Sale and Purchase (ASP) made between the owner of SSFs and the HA for the purchase of the flat, the flat concerned shall be occupied by the owner and all members of the family named in the Application Form for the purchase of the flat. If the owner or any family member ceases to actually or permanently live in the flat without the prior written consent of the HA, the HA has the right to require the owner to assign the flat back to the HA at the costs and expenses of the owner. In addition, if the owner is found to have breached any of the requirements concerned, the HA will not approve the application for the issuance of a Certificate of Availability for Sale (CAS)/Letter of Nomination in respect of the flat concerned under the HOS Secondary Market Scheme (SMS) and any CAS issued will be revoked. The owner concerned will not be able to sell the flat under the SMS.
"The HA has been taking stringent follow-up actions on cases of suspected breachs of the live-in requirements which includes conducting investigations on complaints received. After considering the circumstances of individual cases, appropriate actions will be taken, which include rejecting the processing of an application for CAS for the case concerned so that the transaction concerned cannot be proceeded with. Amongst some recent cases, the owner of one flat concerned had surrendered to the HA all the profits obtained from the resale of the flat. In view of special circumstances of some individual cases, e.g. the owner is hospitalised due to sickness or needs to take care of a family member with serious health problems, rendering him unable to handle decoration and removal issues, the HA may withhold the enforcement actions for non-compliance of the requirement under the ASP and require the owner to remedy the breach by moving in the flat concerned within a specified time period. The HA will also monitor the live-in condition of the flat concerned to ensure the breach has been remedied," the spokesman said.
The live-in requirements have been set out in the application guide and the ASP of relevant sale exercises. Applicants of SSFs are required to sign a declaration at the time of flat selection to declare and undertake that they will notify all the members of the family named in the application form to comply with the live-in requirements. The HD will step up publicity and remind applicants/owners of SSFs regarding the live-in requirements, which includes setting out the details of the live-in requirements in sales/application documents, HA/HD's designated websites, flat selection letter, notice for completion of sale and purchase, letters related to the application for a CAS; and sending a letter to owners who have recently been issued with a CAS reminding them of the live-in requirements. The HA has also maintained close liaison with the Estate Agents Authority (EAA) and the EAA will issue a letter to its licensees reminding them of the live-in requirements of SSFs.
Ends/Thursday, January 25, 2024
Issued at HKT 17:26
Issued at HKT 17:26
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