ENG-1970 — Page 153

118

LAND AND HOUSING

to the agreement being certified by the Secretariat for Home Affairs, a tenant may accept compensation from his landlord in return for delivering up vacant possession of his premises. A total of 320 agreements under this provision were certified during 1970.

The 1953 amending legislation also provided for the establishment as part of the Secretariat for Home Affairs of two tenancy inquiry bureaux, one in Hong Kong and one in Kowloon, to assist in the working of the Landlord and Tenant Ordinance. Their principal task is to provide factual information to tenancy tribunals in respect of exclusion proceedings, and where premises are declared dangerous by the Building Authority, which may also involve the payment of compensation. They also provide general advice and assistance on tenancy matters.

Further amendments to the Landlord and Tenant Ordinance were under consideration during the year.

In respect of post-war premises, legislation dates back to 1952 and the Tenancy (Prolonged Duration) Ordinance which gave limited security of tenure to certain tenants who had entered into oral tenancy agreements involving the payment of key money or premia. In 1963 the three-year security provided by this ordinance was extended to five years. However, the payment of key money etc in such circumstances is no longer so prevalent in Hong Kong. Increases in rent in 1961 and the early part of 1962 resulted in the enactment of the Tenancy (Notice of Termination) Ordinance which generally requires-landlords seeking possession to give six months' notice of termination.

The first comprehensive legislation affecting post-war domestic premises was the Rent Increases (Domestic Premises) Control Ordinance 1963 which was enacted primarily to control increases in rents and provide a measure of security of tenure. With an increase in the supply of newly completed building in 1963 through to 1966 the housing position eased and rents stabilised. As a result this ordinance was allowed to expire on June 30, 1966. For the next three years the situation remained fairly quiet but, with a return of confidence following the disturbances in 1967 and a con- tinuing demand for accommodation, rents by the end of 1969 had taken a sharp upward trend. While the situation was being considered