HOUSING AND LAND
93
the tenant are expected to move out when they get married. This policy is aimed at reducing the present excessive overcrowding in many estates by people who should be expected to find their own accommodation outside the estate, while at the same time recognising the difficulty faced by tenants of finding alternative accommodation for married children and their families.
Since September 1, 1976, tenants for all new domestic lettings are required to pay one month's rent as a deposit, subject to a minimum of $50 for flats where the monthly rent is less than $50. But tenants involved in stages of redevelopment schemes and clearances begun before September 1 and extending beyond that date are to pay only a $50 deposit. In exceptional cases, families who are unable to pay the re- quired one month's deposit in a lump sum may be allowed to do so by instalments. The deposit is refundable to tenants when they terminate their tenancies and hand the flats back to the authority in good condition.
This amended regulation is in keeping with world-wide practice and will also help to safeguard the public funds of the authority if tenants vacate their flats leaving arrears which have to be written off as bad debts. In 1975-6 there were 430 cases with arrears totalling nearly $20,000 which had to be written off.
On December 1, a small increase was made in domestic rents in the former resettlement and low cost housing estates. The increase was calculated on the basis of seven cents per square foot of flat area. It amounted to less than $10 a month extra for about 40 per cent of the tenants concerned and from $10 to less than $20 extra for a further 50 per cent. While it was not expected that the increase would cause hardship, any family which had difficulty in paying the new rent was advised to discuss the matter with the estate staff. As in 1974, district assistance teams were set up to help any such cases.
The Housing Authority was given powers under the Housing (Amendment) Bill 1976 to terminate immediately the lease of flats not occupied by the authorised tenants. This move was taken to put an end to the breaches of tenancy agreements that arise when tenants move to other accommodation and leave the flats empty, or when the flats are sublet.
occurre
On August 25 a disastrous landslide occurred at the Sau Mau Ping estate in Kowloon, engulfing most of the ground floor flats and shops of Block 9 and killing 18 people. Block 9 and the adjacent Block 15 were evacuated and more than 500 people were given accommodation at the Kowloon Bay flatted factory building. The preliminary report on the landslide indicated that it was due to the infiltration of water into the slope, caused by prolonged and unusually intense rainfall. A survey of all similar slopes was straightway conducted by a firm of consultants to identify slopes displaying similar characteristics to the one that had failed.
Immediate action was taken by the Housing Department to accommodate people affected and to assist in rescue operations by providing earth-moving equip- ment and lighting. Tenants were allowed to return to their homes after a safety embankment had been erected and other slope protection measures taken. Permanent remedial measures for Sau Mau Ping and other estates were put in hand. Also, a