Ombudsman launches investigation on PRH recovery workflow

Refurbishing a vacant PRH flat takes 44 days.

Hong Kong's Office of the Ombudsman has launched an investigation on the workflow involved in recovering public rental housing (PRH).

In a statement, the Ombudsman said that it has received complaints alleging authorities' failure to properly dispose of items left in PRH flats by outgoing tenants.

There are also complaints that authorities casually discarded items without contacting the tenants concerned or their next of kin, or without obtaining tenants' prior consent.

Separately, the Ombudsman revealed that the number of appeal cases are on the rise on the back of authorities' enhanced efforts to combat tenancy abuse. The recovery of a PRH flat is suspended during the appeal.

"The office is, therefore, concerned about whether there is room to expedite and improve the workflow of and procedures for appeals," the Ombudsman said in a press statement posted on its website.

At present, the Hong Kong Housing Authority’s (HKHA) key performance indicator (KPI) for refurbishing a vacant PRH flat is 44 days. The Ombudsman’s Office noticed that the average time has been close to this KPI for the last three years.