Hong Kong raises rent of “well-off” public rental housing tenants

They will be required to pay 2.5 times to 4.5 times the standard rent.

The Housing Authority Subsidised Housing Committee has proposed tightening policies and raising the rent of well-off public rental housing (PRH) tenants.

The threshold for vacating PRH flats will also be adjusted. PRH tenants with income levels exceeding four times but not five times the PRHILs after two declaration cycles— four years in total— must relinquish their tenancies.

Households whose family income exceeds two times and not more than three times the prevailing PRH income limits (PRHILs) will be required to pay 2.5 times the standard rent, raised from the existing 1.5 times.

Households with family income exceeding three times, and not more than four times, of prevailing PRHIL will pay 3.5 times the standard rent, from the double rent currently implemented.

As for households whose family income exceeds four times and not more than five times the prevailing PRHILs, they have to pay 4.5 times the standard rent instead of the existing double rent.

The new additional rent levels will take effect from the next declaration cycle in October 2025.

The first batch of well-off tenants will pay rent at the new levels from 1 October 2026.

Quota adjusted
Authorities are also adjusting the quota location ratio of green form and white form applicants to 50:50.

Well-off tenants paying additional rents, irrespective of the rent level, can retain their green form status for four years after voluntarily moving out of their flats.

This policy will be effective from 1 October 2025.

Relevant declaration arrangements will also be enhanced. Each family member will have to declare individually whether they own any domestic property in Hong Kong.

This will allow identification of false declarations and corresponding enforcement measures to be taken, authorities said.

False declarations will be subject to a five-year debarment from applying for PRH and will also be liable to prosecution, they warned.