ENG-1990 — Page 238

HOUSING

The prices and sizes of flats sold covered a wide range, with prices from $176,000 for a 35-square metre flat at Siu Kwai Court, Tuen Mun, to $707,300 for a large flat of 55 square metres at Tsui Chuk Garden, Stage III, Chuk Yuen.

Home Purchase Loan Scheme

The Home Purchase Loan Scheme, administered by the Housing Authority, forms an integral part of the Long Term Housing Strategy. The purpose of the scheme is to promote home purchase by assisting lower-middle-income families to buy flats of their own in the private sector. Eligible applicants are offered interest-free loans, repayable up to 20 years, to help overcome the problems of initial financing faced by many families wishing to buy their own homes.

On April 1, 1990, the authority revised the Home Ownership Scheme Income Limit to $11,500 which was also applied to the Home Purchase Loan Scheme. The authority also revised the amount of loan from $110,000 to $130,000 which became effective from August 1, 1990.

Since the second year of implementation of the scheme, a more flexible approach has been adopted regarding the application period whereby applications remained open throughout the year. A total of 4 156 applications were received, of which 2 087 (50 per cent) were from public housing applicants, and 2 069 from the private sector. Altogether 2 240 applicants were found eligible. A total of 1 477 loans were granted. As a result, 607 loan recipients had served notice-to-quit, their public housing units being recovered for re-allocation to other families.

Allocation

The Housing Authority owns and manages some 630 000 rental flats in 144 housing estates. These flats are of different sizes, amenities and rent levels to meet the wide-ranging requirements of families in need of public housing.

During the year, 35 600 new flats and 8 800 vacated flats were let to the various categories of eligible applicants. The biggest share went to Waiting List applicants (32 per cent), followed by tenants involved in the redevelopment of the older blocks and in the comprehensive redevelopment programme (30 per cent), and families affected by development clearances (21 per cent). Junior civil servants, victims of fires and natural disasters, occupants of huts and other structures in dangerous locations, compassionate cases recommended by the Social Welfare Department, those families affected by the Kowloon Walled City clearance and applicants from temporary housing areas took up the remainder of the flats.

The Public Housing Waiting List and allocation of rental flats have been computerised, with information on nearly three million applicants and tenants being stored in the Hous- ing Applications and Tenancies Management Information System. The system enables housing allocation and duplication checks to be carried out effectively and produces useful statistical information.

During the year, 14 200 flats, mainly in Tuen Mun, Sha Tin, Tsuen Wan, Tseung Kwan O (Junk Bay) and Tai Po, were allocated to successful Waiting List applicants. Waiting time varied from eight years for estates in Sha Tin to three years for those in Tuen Mun.

Applications for public rental housing through the authority's Waiting List were considered in the order of registration and in accordance with the choice of districts.

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