ENG-2010 — Page 265

Chapter 11

Housing

The Government strives to help families in need gain access to adequate and affordable housing. Those who cannot afford private rental accommodation may apply for public rental housing.

There were about 2 569 000 flats in Hong Kong as at December 2010, comprising about 746 800 public rental housing flats1, 391 000 subsidised sale flats and 1 431 200 flats in the private sector2. About 30 per cent of Hong Kong's population live in public rental housing flats, and another 18 per cent live in subsidised sale flats.

Housing Policy

The Government's aim is to provide mainly through the Hong Kong Housing Authority (HKHA)3 public rental housing to low-income people who cannot afford private rental accommodation. It also makes every effort to keep the average waiting time for public rental housing to around three years for general applicants.

The HKHA has a rolling public rental housing construction programme. Between 2010-11 and 2014-15, it plans to build about 75 000 rental flats, or an average of about 15 000 flats each year. By adding its refurbished flats to the new production, the HKHA should be able to maintain the average waiting time for rental flats for general applicants on the waiting list to about three years.

1 Including public rental housing and interim housing flats run by the Hong Kong Housing

Authority and rental flats run by the Hong Kong Housing Society.

2

3

Figures may not add up to total because they are rounded.

The HKHA, established in 1973, is a statutory body responsible for implementing the majority of Hong Kong's public housing programmes. The HKHA provides public rental housing to low- income families who cannot afford private rental accommodation. It also runs interim housing and transit centres to provide temporary accommodation to families facing short-term problems in finding suitable accommodation.

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