LCQ21: Enhancing public rental housing management
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Question:
There are views that, in recent years, residents of public rental housing (PRH) have had differing opinions regarding the management services provided by the Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA), however, the existing channels established by HA for collecting residents' opinions are not sufficiently comprehensive. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the respective total number of opinions submitted by PRH residents to HA through telephone hotlines, Estate Management Advisory Committees, mail, and other channels in each of the past five years, with a breakdown by the nature of the opinions submitted (e.g. PRH maintenance, environmental hygiene, and community facilities);
(2) whether the authorities have assessed the effectiveness of the existing opinion collection mechanism (e.g. the average time taken by HA to reply to opinions, the resolution rate of issues raised, and residents' satisfaction); if such an assessment has been conducted, of the specific indicators and results; if not, whether consideration will be given to establishing such an assessment mechanism;
(3) given that some elderly persons and persons with disabilities have reflected that the feedback channels established by HA are inadequate, whether HA will introduce feedback facilitation measures for specific individuals (e.g. door-to-door collection of opinions, simplified opinion collection forms, and the provision of voice input systems); if so, of the implementation timetable; if not, the reasons for that;
(4) whether the authorities have plans to develop an electronic platform to integrate opinion data related to PRH management across various districts, and to utilise artificial intelligence to analyse and identify issues of greatest public concern, as well as to predict potential problems in PRH management; if so, of the details and the estimated implementation timetable; if not, the reasons for that and the difficulties involved;
(5) whether it will, with reference to standards in private property management, require HA to regularly publish consolidated analysis reports on the opinions of PRH residents across the territory regarding PRH management, which should include trends in their primary demands and the follow-up improvement measures adopted by HA in response to such opinions; and
(6) whether it will consider organising regular engagement sessions to exchange views on housing estate management with local stakeholders (including District Council members, Area Committees, District Fight Crime Committees, District Fire Safety Committees, District Services and Community Care Teams, owners' corporations and residents' representatives)?
Reply:
President,
Always upholding the values of "Caring", the Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA) has been committed to providing quality public rental housing (PRH) to residents. Through professional management and maintenance, we strive to create a good living environment for residents in an attentive and responsible manner. Residents of public housing are our major service targets. We attach great importance to their expectations and needs. We will continue to maintain contact with residents and local stakeholders, to collect their opinions through various channels, and to listen to their views on how to enhance the living quality of residents in public housing with a view to enhancing their sense of well-being.
In response to the question raised by the Hon Dominic Lee, in consultation with the Labour and Welfare Bureau (LWB) and the Home Affairs Department, our reply is as follows:
(1) The numbers of complaints and requests regarding estate management issues of PRH received by the HA from 2020 to 2024 are set out by year at Annex.
(2) to (6) The HA/Housing Department (HD) has been actively widening its communication channels with residents, and collecting opinions from PRH residents through both traditional and electronic means so as to enhance estate management services. The HD has placed suggestion boxes at the ground floor lobbies of domestic blocks in all estates. Apart from providing paper questionnaire surveys, the HD also printed QR code and hyperlinks to the electronic questionnaire survey on the notice for opinion collection to facilitate PRH residents to complete electronic questionnaires. Summaries of residents' opinions collected through electronic questionnaires will be distributed to residents through the Estate Newsletter published in May and November every year, so that they are informed of the concerns of other residents about the management issues in their respective estates.
Furthermore, the HA/HD regularly conducts Tenants' Opinion Surveys to collect residents' feedback on the performance of various estate service contractors (including estate property service agents, works contractors, cleaning and security service contractors). Residents can choose to complete paper questionnaires and opinion forms, answer electronic questionnaires, have telephone interviews or face-to-face interviews to express their opinions. Residents are also welcome to exchange views with the HD's staff by making telephone calls or visiting estate management offices in person any time, or directly talk to estate staff during home visits to reflect their opinions.
Additionally, the HD conducts the Public Housing Recurrent Survey (PHRS) biennially to collect views from households currently living in the HA's PRH estates on housing-related matters. The matters include estate management, maintenance services for estate common areas and households' premises, marking scheme for estate management enforcement, environmental facilities and initiatives in estates, as well as HA's shopping facilities and parking arrangement in estates. The survey covers all PRH estates in Hong Kong, with PRH households selected for participation in interviews through random sampling to collect the views of PRH residents on the abovementioned matters. The survey results are announced at the HA's Subsidised Housing Committee meetings and are made available for public's review. The major findings of the latest PHRS can be downloaded from the HD's website (www.housingauthority.gov.hk/en/common/pdf/about-us/housing-authority/ha-paper-library/SHC6-20241EN.pdf).
To further promote the application of innovative technologies in PRH estate management, the HA will launch a centralised property management platform this year. By leveraging data analysis and integrating digital technology into daily management operations, the platform aims to enhance management efficiency and improve service quality. The HA has also established a dedicated co-ordination team to oversee the trial of various innovative technologies across different management areas and review operational models, including updating workflows and manuals as well as providing appropriate training to staff. We will closely monitor relevant technological developments and introduce more innovative technologies as appropriate to optimise estate management works.
When implementing improvement works projects in existing estates, the HA places great emphasis on the views and participation of residents. To ensure that the works projects can truly meet the needs of the residents, the HD adopts various means for public consultation to extensively collect suggestions from residents and stakeholders on the improvement works projects. This helps the project team formulate detailed design proposals more effectively.
The improvement works project at Chak On Estate in Sham Shui Po is one of the innovative attempts. The HA held the "Let's Go Well-being Chak On" Design Competition from January to May 2025 and invited the public to provide design proposals for the improvement works in the estate. The competition successfully attracted over 150 outstanding young designers and students to participate. They interpreted the concept of "Well-being Design" Guide through innovative and thoughtful designs, injecting new vitality into the communal spaces of Chak On Estate. All shortlisted teams engaged Chak On Estate residents in the co-creation processes and collected their views on the designs. Not only did the winning entries showcase the professionalism and creativity of the contestants, but they also reflected contestants' careful attention to and understanding of the residents' needs. This allowed residents to participate in the improvement works project of the estate in a novel way and enhanced their sense of belonging and pride.
The HA has been actively promoting a caring and inclusive community and collaborates with non-governmental organisations and other government departments to organise various kinds of community building activities, strengthen mutual support among residents, and enhance community cohesion. To further deepen exchanges with local stakeholders, the HD has been organising regional estate management sharing sessions since the second quarter of this year. Local stakeholders including relevant District Council members were invited to participate in the sessions to exchange views and share their estate management experience. The HD staff also briefed the participants on the latest policies of the HA and related information, and directly listened to their suggestions and opinions on estate management.
To further strengthen the attention and support for the elderly and the disabled, as well as to listen to their opinions, the PRH estate offices under the HA proactively assist the District Services and Community Care Teams (Care Teams) in promoting care activities, organising community events, and offering visits and support services for families in need (including elderly households, disabled individual, and carer households). Additionally, the HA partners with non-governmental organisations to host activities such as outreach visits every year. The LWB and the HD have strengthened their collaboration by integrating data from the Social Welfare Department's elderly service users with the HD's PRH residents' data so as to identify high-risk hidden households. In mid-July 2025, a pilot scheme was launched in Kwun Tong District and Sha Tin District, inviting the Care Teams to proactively contact and visit these elderly, disabled individual and carer households to understand their needs and introduce relevant support services, etc. This scheme enables them to strengthen their support networks, to seek assistance in emergencies or when needed, and to be heard of their views on other services and estate management.
The HA will continuously strive to optimise the communication mechanism and measures with PRH residents, provide diverse and convenient communication channels, so as to enhance public housing management standards, build a harmonious community and strengthen the sense of well-being and belonging of PRH residents.
Ends/Wednesday, July 30, 2025
Issued at HKT 15:30
Issued at HKT 15:30
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