HOUSING
seven estates were invited to apply for the scheme. The sale price was fixed at a 45 per cent discount from its market value.
Management
The chairman and members of the authority regularly visit the rental estates and ownership courts to meet community representatives and to discuss housing matters with them. Similar visits are also made by the authority's management and operations committee, accompanied by senior officers of the housing management branch and representatives of residents' association office bearers as well as district board members.
Housing Subsidy Policy
To reduce housing subsidies to tenants who are able to meet their own housing needs, the authority implemented a Housing Subsidy Policy in 1987.
Under this policy, tenants who have lived in public housing for 10 or more years and whose incomes exceed the Subsidy Income Limit (twice the Waiting List Income Limit) are required to pay double net rent.
About 219 000 households have been affected by the subsidy policy. Of these, 55 700 (25 per cent) are required to pay double net rent, and 163 300 (75 per cent) are allowed to continue paying the existing rent.
In the current year, 40 300 households whose tenancies began between April 1979 and April 1981 are affected by the policy. The status of some 54 600 households who were allowed to continue paying their existing rents two years ago will be reviewed; if their household incomes are found to exceed the subsidy limit, they will be required to pay double rent from April 1992.
The smooth implementation of this policy in the past four years reflects its acceptance by the public, and reaffirms the authority's social objective of providing housing to those in greatest need. Nevertheless, the policy is being reviewed by an ad hoc committee to determine whether improvements might be made.
Agency Management Scheme
Under an agency management scheme, 22 Home Ownership Estates are being managed by private property management agents appointed and supervised by the authority.
The scheme aims to provide more flexibility and to encourage greater participation by owners in the everyday management of their own properties, with the authority remaining ultimately responsible for management standards and policy.
Car Parking and Hawker Control
Illegal car parking and hawking are among the management problems in the estates.
Roads in 132 rental estates, nine factory estates, 40 HOS courts and 26 temporary housing areas are under the control of the authority, which is empowered to impose charges for impounding, removing and storing vehicles illegally parked in housing estates.
In 1990, a three-year contract was signed privatising the management of carparks and restricted roads in 28 selected rental estates covering 7 800 parking spaces. More carparks in other estates are being privatised.
To deal with illegal hawking, staff are required to work irregular hours. As a result of their efforts, there were 18 arrests, 10 777 seizures and 590 prosecutions in estates during the year.
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