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Housing

she is already living in PRH. All applicants need to meet the HKHA's residence requirement and must satisfy the Comprehensive Means Test and the Domestic Property Test to qualify.

To speed up the allocation of some of the less popular flats, the HKHA pools these flats for selection by eligible applicants on the waiting list under the Express Flat Allocation Scheme. About 1,800 households were allocated PRH flats under this scheme in 2013.

The HKHA also offers accommodation to people whose squatter huts or rooftop structures are cleared by the government, provided they meet certain conditions, and about 190 such people were rehoused in 2013.

Home Ownership

Home Ownership Scheme

In response to the aspirations of low and middle-income families for home ownership, the HOS is part of the government's housing policy. In 2013, the government pledged to provide about 17,000 HOS flats over four years from 2016-17 onwards and thereafter an annual average of some 5,000 HOS flats. The first batch of about 2,200 HOS units are expected to be completed in 2016-17, and planned for pre-sale by the end of 2014.

To address the community's home ownership needs, the HKHA released all of the remaining 832 Surplus HOS flats for sale in March. Some 14,200 applications were received by the HKHA and execution of agreements for sale and purchase for all flats was completed in September.

An interim scheme was launched in January 2013 to allow an annual quota of 5,000 eligible buyers with White Form status to purchase flats with premium not yet paid on the HOS Secondary Market before the first batch of new HOS flats are completed in 2016-17. Some 66,000 applications were received by the HKHA and Approval Letters were subsequently issued to the successful applicants in two batches in May and December. By the end of December, some 920 applications for the Letter of Nomination had been approved and these successful applicants can purchase flats with premium not yet paid in the HOS secondary market.

Housing for People with Special Needs

Single elderly persons can apply for PRH under the Single Elderly Persons Priority Scheme. Unrelated elderly persons who wish to share a flat may do so under the Elderly Persons Priority Scheme. The average waiting time for PRH for single elderly applicants was about 1.6 years as at December 2013. The various Harmonious Families Schemes encourage families to live with, and to take care of, their elderly relatives in PRH estates.

Completion of Housing Units

Some 22,900 residential units were completed in 2012-13, of which about 9,800 were private housing flats (excluding village houses) and around 13,100 public housing flats of the HKHA.

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