- Reverse mortgage
- Public housing issues
- Application for public rental housing
- Priority for the elderly
- Harmonious Families Priority Scheme (“HFPS”)
- Priority Scheme for Single Elderly Persons
- Elderly Persons Priority Scheme
- Special arrangements for elderly tenants
- Rent Assistance Scheme
- Housing subsidy policy
- Survey on household income
- Transfer of flats
- Tenants’ responsibilities
- Marking Scheme for Estate Management Enforcement
- Housing abuses
- General enquiries
- Maintenance and safety of property
- Redevelopment and acquisition of property
Public housing issues
Application for public rental housing
The Hong Kong Housing Authority (“HA”) maintains a Waiting List (“WL”) to provide eligible applicants with Public Rental Housing (“PRH”).
According to Item 2.1 of the “Waiting List for Public Rental Housing: Information for Applicants” (Revised in March 2012), all applicants for PRH have to fulfil the following general eligibility criteria:
1. The Applicant must be 18 years of age or above.
2. The Applicant and his/her family members must be residing in Hong Kong and have the right to land in Hong Kong without being subject to any conditions of stay (except for conditions concerning the limit of stay). Family members who do not have the right to land in Hong Kong should not be included in the application.
3. All married persons listed on the application form must apply together with their spouses (except for divorcees, persons undergoing divorce proceedings, persons whose spouses have not been granted the right to land in Hong Kong, or widowed persons).
4. At the time of allocation, at least half of the family members included in the application must have lived in Hong Kong for at least seven years, and all family members must still be living in Hong Kong. Under the following circumstances, all children under the age of 18 are deemed to have fulfilled the seven-year residence rule:
(a) one of the parents, regardless of the children’s place of birth, has lived in Hong Kong for seven years; or
(b) the children were born in Hong Kong with established permanent resident status.
5. From the date of completing the PRH application form to the date of signing the tenancy agreement of the PRH flat allocated in consequence of the application, the Applicant and his/her family members must not:
(a) own, co-own or have an interest in any domestic property in Hong Kong (e.g. no trustee, executor, administrator or beneficiary having an interest in any domestic property in Hong Kong is eligible to submit the application);
(b) have entered into any agreement (including a provisional agreement) to purchase any domestic property in Hong Kong; or
(c) hold more than 50% of shares in a company which owns, directly or through its subsidiaries, any domestic property in Hong Kong. Domestic property includes any domestic property, uncompleted private domestic property, rooftop structure approved by the Building Authority, domestic building lot, or Small House Grant approved by the Lands Department in Hong Kong.
6. The total monthly income and total net asset value of the Applicant and his/her family members must not exceed the income and total net asset value limits laid down by the HA. Such limits are subject to review annually. For the prevailing limits applicable to different categories of applicants, please refer to the reference table on income and total net asset limits shown in the attachment.
7. Family members with flats under various subsidised home ownership schemes, such as the Home Ownership Scheme/Private Sector Participation Scheme, Mortgage Subsidy Scheme, Buy or Rent Option Scheme, Tenants Purchase Scheme, Home Purchase Loan Scheme and Home Assistance Loan Scheme are eligible for PRH application once their names have been deleted from the relevant records, subject to the fulfilment of the other PRH eligibility criteria.
8. Purchasers of flats under various subsidised home ownership schemes who rescinded the Agreement for Sale and Purchase before receiving any subsidised assistance are eligible for PRH application after the execution of the Cancellation Agreement, subject to the fulfilment of the other PRH eligibility criteria.
9. The relevant rules and this Information for Applicants are subject to revision at anytime by the HA. Any such information will be uploaded to the HA/Housing Department (HD) website or released through the media; applicants will not be informed individually. Applicants should pay attention to press coverage or visit the HA/HD website for information, and they must observe the policies and procedures relating to WL applications that are prescribed by the HA from time to time.
10. For one-person applicants, the above criteria are applicable to the Applicant only.
The HA regularly updates the information on the Waiting List for Public Rental Housing (“PRH-WL’).
