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Combating Public Housing Abuses

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  1. #1

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    Combating Public Housing Abuses

    There are currently 120,000 public housing units that are vacant, as the elderlies who previously occupied them have retired in the Mainland.

    https://hongkongfp.com/2024/10/04/ho...hem-full-time/

    Other common abuses include:


    • -Non-occupation (or not retaining regular and continuous residence for over three months )
    • -Subletting (with or without rental income)
    • -Engaging in illegal activities (e.g. gambling, possession of drugs or illicit cigarettes)
    • -Non-domestic usage (e.g. commercial activities, storage)
    • -False declaration (e.g. income, assets, marital status or household particulars)

    https://www.housingauthority.gov.hk/...ses/index.html

    Some of the above will be criminalised, if they aren't already

    https://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/compone...4-20250114.htm

    So we should have at least 200,000 vacant units within two years, right?
    Last edited by nivek2046; 20-01-2025 at 03:58 PM.
    newhkpr likes this.

  2. #2

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    This is troubling:

    The official also said that “all-elderly households” did not need to report their assets, unlike other public housing tenants. ” Some elderly people might possess a small apartment for lease, which is a source of income, and this can be exempted, ” Law said.
    So...wait. You OWN another flat, but choose the heavily subsidized public housing? If that would not be OK for non-elderly, I don't see why it IS OK for the elderly, should not be two sets of rules.

    I have known more than a few people who were renting public housing units that were being illegally sublet. Or living in a relative's flat and the relative no longer lived in HK.

    While others are paying HK 4000-7000 for an unsafe, subdivided flat (oh, too hard to police those!).

    And yet, plenty of time to police people's social media to check for various collusion with foreign forces or whatever.

    I also have seen situations in the UK where the elderly have a very large place since their family grew up and moved out and don't want to move to a smaller unit and then complain about the "bedroom tax."

    Look, these are not YOUR private flats. They are a public resource, not an income-producing asset. Live there under the terms of the occupancy or give it up to another needy person/couple/family.
    nivek2046 likes this.

  3. #3

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    if someone decides to live in china majority of the time but still come back to hk once in a while, say every three or five months, do you just take away their housing and provide them with a 'hot desk' like arrangement in some short term public housing unit ? hmmm...

    this is not easy to manage, very different from those that abuse it outright (subletting, etc)


    I always think the easiest is to increase the rent for these public unit, make them much closer to market.. say 6-10k per month.
    People that really are poor can apply for partial waiver of the rental if they prove they have no other assets and income level is low.. then it become a statutory false declaration for those that try to abuse. Once price are high enough, those that still want to keep a unit would have to think of the risk and cost instead of keep these as a super long term option.


  4. #4

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    Quote Originally Posted by freeier:
    if someone decides to live in china majority of the time but still come back to hk once in a while, say every three or five months, do you just take away their housing and provide them with a 'hot desk' like arrangement in some short term public housing unit ? hmmm...

    this is not easy to manage, very different from those that abuse it outright (subletting, etc)


    I always think the easiest is to increase the rent for these public unit, make them much closer to market.. say 6-10k per month.
    People that really are poor can apply for partial waiver of the rental if they prove they have no other assets and income level is low.. then it become a statutory false declaration for those that try to abuse. Once price are high enough, those that still want to keep a unit would have to think of the risk and cost instead of keep these as a super long term option.
    This is not your holiday flat. In fact, it's not YOUR flat, it's a benefit for you while you live in HK. You aren't living there, you give up the flat.

    Sorry, I get so angry about this issue, since there are so, so many needy people on years'-long queues for these units.
    nivek2046, emx, BCD and 3 others like this.

  5. #5

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    Quote Originally Posted by freeier:
    if someone decides to live in china majority of the time but still come back to hk once in a while, say every three or five months, do you just take away their housing and provide them with a 'hot desk' like arrangement in some short term public housing unit ? hmmm...

    this is not easy to manage, very different from those that abuse it outright (subletting, etc)


    I always think the easiest is to increase the rent for these public unit, make them much closer to market.. say 6-10k per month.
    People that really are poor can apply for partial waiver of the rental if they prove they have no other assets and income level is low.. then it become a statutory false declaration for those that try to abuse. Once price are high enough, those that still want to keep a unit would have to think of the risk and cost instead of keep these as a super long term option.
    Make it like in determining tax residency. 180 days
    BCD likes this.

  6. #6

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    With only 10% of subdivided units meeting new standards, the government should not criminalise the letting or renting of SDUs (in 2026, 2027 or 2028) until at least 180,00 public housing units have been recovered.

    https://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/compone...6-20250119.htm


  7. #7

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    Quote Originally Posted by freeier:
    I always think the easiest is to increase the rent for these public unit, make them much closer to market.. say 6-10k per month.
    People that really are poor can apply for partial waiver of the rental if they prove they have no other assets and income level is low.. then it become a statutory false declaration for those that try to abuse.
    How to prove you have no other assets? Its quite easy to show an empty bank account, how would they know about my other account abroad where I keep all my assets? I dont think this would work at all in a place like HK you open up an new can of worms were people hide their assets to get subsidies.
    newhkpr likes this.

  8. #8

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    Quote Originally Posted by RobRoy:
    How to prove you have no other assets? Its quite easy to show an empty bank account, how would they know about my other account abroad where I keep all my assets? I dont think this would work at all in a place like HK you open up an new can of worms were people hide their assets to get subsidies.
    with global sharing of banking data, anyone making a false declaration goes into jail for 6mth ?

  9. #9

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    Quote Originally Posted by freeier:
    with global sharing of banking data, anyone making a false declaration goes into jail for 6mth ?
    But that's not in place today? Also quite sensitive that some admin lady in the Gov office should have access to all that data for this purpose of declining a subsidy.
    newhkpr likes this.

  10. #10

    Assets ? What assets?


    bank account ? what bank account?


    GOLD. They buy gold !

    shri and Mrs. Jones like this.

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