ENG-2019 — Page 231

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Housing

The Housing Authority's policy is to set affordable PRH rents. Its rents cover rates and management and maintenance costs, and averaged $2,072 within a range of $433 to $5,159 per month at end-December. Rent adjustments are based on changes in PRH tenants' overall household incomes. The rents are reviewed every two years and the most recent review was completed in July 2018.

Tenants facing temporary financial difficulties are granted rent reductions of 25 or 50 per cent under the Housing Authority's Rent Assistance Scheme. At end-December, 18,900 households were recipients.

Better-off Tenants

The Housing Authority Well-off Tenants Policies help the allocation of PRH resources to focus on those with more pressing housing needs. This initiative levies additional rent on better-off tenants. At end-December, about 31,400 households paid additional rent.

Estate Clearance

Six PRH blocks under the Housing Authority are targeted for clearance. Blocks 9, 10 and 11 in Pak Tin Estate, Sham Shui Po, are to be cleared by April 2020, and Block 13 by January 2021, involving about 2,280 households and 10 commercial tenants. Mei Po and Mei Tung Houses in Mei Tung Estate, Wong Tai Sin, are to be cleared by November 2020, affecting around 630 households and 26 commercial tenants. Registration of the affected households was completed in 2018 and related rehousing work is under way.

Sustainable Public Housing Stock

The Housing Authority adopts a life-cycle maintenance strategy to keep its public housing stock economically, socially and environmentally sound. Estates about 40 years old and above are monitored to ensure structural safety and financial sustainability. It also inspects conditions within PRH flats and makes minor repairs or improvements on the spot. About 69,000 flats in 42 estates were checked in 2019.

Housing estates are rejuvenated and the facilities are upgraded to meet tenants' changing needs, including lift modernisation programmes, barrier-free access improvement, recreation facilities enhancement, and renovation of the building exteriors and common areas.

PRH Allocation

General applicants are allocated PRH according to the order of their registrations, family size and choice of districts. For non-elderly one-person applicants, priority under the QPS is determined by age, waiting time and whether the person lives in PRH. All applicants must meet the PRH eligibility criteria.

5 'Well-off Tenants Policies' is an umbrella term for the Housing Authority's Housing Subsidy Policy and the Policy on Safeguarding Rational Allocation of Public Housing Resources. Households that have lived in PRH for 10 years must make declarations every two years. PRH households with income exceeding the prescribed limits pay additional rent. Those who own private domestic property in Hong Kong, or whose family income exceeds five times the income limits, or whose net household assets exceed 100 times the income limits, or who refuse to make a declaration, must vacate their PRH units.

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