10
Public housing tenants failing to surrender flat
Following is a question by the Hon Henry Tang and a written reply by the Secretary for Housing, Mr Dominic Wong, in the Legislative Council today (Wednesday):
Question:
With regard to the problem of public housing tenants failing to surrender their flats after they have moved out, will the Government inform this Council:
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Answer:
Mr President.
of the number of tenants who have surrendered their flats to the Housing Department (HD) for reasons of emigration, as well as the number of flats recovered by the HD upon discovering that the tenants have emigrated but failed to surrender their flats, in the past three years;
how does the HD come to know that the tenants have emigrated;
whether tenants can transfer their tenancy to their relatives; if so, what are the criteria, and how many tenants have successfully transferred their tenancy to their relatives in the past three and
years;
how many tenants have sublet their flats in breach of the tenancy agreement in the past three years, and what is the punishment normally imposed by the HID on such tenants?
During the three years up to 29 February 1996, 335 flats were surrendered voluntarily by tenants before emigration, and another 109 flats were recovered from tenants who had emigrated but failed to surrender them.
The Housing Department regularly inspects tenants' flats to check on occupancy. Estate staff may also learn about a tenant's emigration from checking his rent payment, use of utility services, or through complaints from neighbours.
The Housing Authority's tenancy agreement specifies that public housing tenancies are non-transferable except with the permission of the Director of Housing. The Director will consider allowing transfer of tenancy where the principal tenant: