Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Wednesday announced new government steps to help ease the city’s housing crisis by giving people under 40 more assistance to secure public housing. File Photo by Jerome Favre/EPA-EFE
Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Wednesday announced new government steps to help ease its housing crisis by giving people under 40 more assistance to secure public housing.
The Hong Kong Housing Authority will allocate 1,500 extra flats for under-40 family and single applicants. Advertisement
“The Hong Kong Housing Authority will allocate an extra ballot number to young family applicants and one‑person applicants aged below 40 with White Form status for the purchase of Home Ownership Scheme flats from the next HOS sale exercise onwards,” Lee said during his policy address.
Efforts to increase the supply of public housing in Hong Kong will continue as Hong Kong struggles with an affordable housing crisis.
Lee said in his policy address that roughly 9,500 new public housing units will be added by the government in 2025 as Hong Kong strives to add approximately 30,000 new public housing units by 2027-2028.
According to the 2024 Demographia International Housing Affordability report, Hong Kong is the least affordable place to live.
The extra housing ballot for younger public housing applicants boosts their chances of locating scarce affordable apartments. Advertisement
Hong Kong’s government will also start a new system for renting subdivided flats that will convert “substandard” units to Basic Housing Units laying out minimum requirements to qualify.
Subdivided units would have to have windows, toilets and be larger than 86 square feet.
Lee said the wait time for public housing, currently 5.5 years, could be cut to 4.5 years in 2026-2027.
