Hong Kong gov't recovered 9,000 public rental flats over 3 years amid crackdown on ‘rich tenants'
Winnie Ho, the housing chief, said on Facebook on Wednesday that the approximately 9,000 flats taken back from July 2022 to this June has saved the government around HK$9 billion, which would otherwise have been spent on building new public flats.
The official said that some retirees from the disciplinary forces had joined the government's task force set up to investigate suspected abuse cases.
The retirees were recruited to assist with 'more serious and concealed suspected cases,' and to provide frontline staff with investigative skills training, Ho said in the Chinese-language Facebook post.
Last February, Ho told state-back newspaper Ta Kung Pao that the Housing Department had hired some disciplinary forces retirees to help form a plan to crack down on public housing abuse, and to monitor online if any tenants are illegally subletting their units.
The government has been stepping up efforts to identify 'rich tenants' living in public rental housing since early 2024, citing a limited supply of public housing units.
Apart from the establishment of a special task force, the authorities have also enhanced scrutiny of tenants' finances, including the value of their vehicles and assets in Hong Kong, mainland Chinese and abroad.
After taking office in July 2022, Chief Executive John Lee said addressing Hong Kong's housing issues topped his administration's agenda. He vowed to reduce the average waiting time for public rental housing – which was then 5.6 years then – to 4.5 within four years.
As of this March, the average wait time was 5.3 years.
Meanwhile, the government has also encouraged the public to report any suspected cases of suspected public housing abuse.
Earlier in January, the Housing Authority rolled out the 'Report Public Housing Abuse Award.' Anyone who provides 'genuine and concrete information' that leads to the Housing Department's successful identification of abuse cases will be rewarded with HK$3,000 and a certificate of appreciation.
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