Expect new housing measures in October: Government

Living density for one-person households lowered to 30sqm.

According to a report, the Housing Authority will introduce a set of enhanced measures in October tackle under-occupation of public rental housing estates and ensure the rational use of valuable public housing resources.

The authority’s Subsidised Housing Committee endorsed the measures today.

The living density for one-person households of 34 square metres per person will be adjusted downward to 30.

However, households with disabled members or seniors aged 70 or above will be excluded, and those with members aged 60 or above but below 70 will be placed at the end of the list for transfer under the new arrangements until the next review exercise.

To rationalise the use of heavily subsidised public housing resources, since 1992 the authority has required those households with living space exceeding the prescribed standards to move to another public rental flat of appropriate size. The situation was reviewed in 2007 and 2010, and the new arrangements will be reviewed after three years.

Meanwhile, the authority today also approved the allocation plan for 2013-14, which will provide 33,600 public rental housing flats for eligible families, out of which 24,020 flats will go to waiting list applicants.

The 33,600 flats for allocation comprise 21,600 new flats and 12,000 refurbished ones.

A quota of 1,920 flats will be allowed for allocating to non-elderly one-person waiting-list applicants through the Quota & Points System for 2013-14.

A total of 480 flats will be reserved to cater for re-housing needs generated by clearance programmes implemented by the Government and the Urban Renewal Authority.