110
HOUSING AND LAND
Scheme, under which rent officers attend City District Offices and the District Offices in the New Territories on set days each week to deal with referred cases and to answer enquiries on landlord and tenant matters relating to both pre-war and post-war premises.
Rent Control of Post-war Premises
Comprehensive legislation affecting post-war domestic premises in the private sector has been in force in one form or another since 1962 – apart from the period between 1966 and 1970 - and it is now embodied as Part II of the Landlord and Tenant (Consolidation) Ordinance. This legislation provides security of tenure and controls increases in rents for nearly all tenants and sub-tenants in post-war domestic premises in the private sector. Increases in rent for protected tenants are limited to a maximum of 21 per cent every two
years.
Prior to December 18, 1979, rent control provisions did not apply to tenancies in buildings certified for occupation after December 14, 1973, nor to tenancies entered into after December 31, 1975, for a term of three years or more. Tenancies held in the names of public bodies, corporations, foreign or Commonwealth governments, partnerships or firms were also excluded.
Following an upsurge of rentals in the uncontrolled sector of the domestic property market in 1979 – which created difficulties for tenants in negotiating renewals of tenancies and in finding alternative accommodation at reasonable rents the Landlord and Tenant (Consolidation) Ordinance was amended in February, 1980, to extend controls to almost all domestic tenancies in post-war buildings. As a result, nearly all tenants previously ex- cluded from protection are now provided with security of tenure and protection from excessive increases in rent.
At the same time, a committee was appointed under the chairmanship of the Secretary for Housing to conduct an overall review of the Landlord and Tenant (Consolidation) Ordinance. The committee's terms of reference are to review the ordinance and to make recommendations on various aspects of rent control legislation having regard, inter alia, to the demand for housing, the rate of construction of new housing, the need for adequate maintenance of the existing housing stock and to the interests and needs of developers, owner-occupiers, landlords and tenants, and of the community as a whole. Members of the public, associations and other interested parties, were invited to submit representations to the committee and a total of 200 was received. The committee met 24 times during the
year.
Land
The formulation of overall targets for the production and sale of land is the responsibility of the Special Committee on Land Production which, during the year met four times to consider various technical reports which will provide a basis for a final report to the Governor in early 1981. As an extension of the work of this committee, a Land Disposal Sub-committee under the chairmanship of the Deputy Secretary for the Environment formulates and monitors a land sales programme. Specific sites are identified and collated in the Crown Lands and Survey Office and by the New Territories Administration.
Administration
Land administration on Hong Kong Island and in Kowloon and New Kowloon is the responsibility of the Director of Public Works, who also is the Building Authority and the chairman of the Town Planning Board. The Land and Valuation branches of the Crown