Latest news with #WinnieHo
South China Morning Post
20-07-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong to build more subsidised homes in I&T hub to meet middle-class demand
Hong Kong will build more subsidised homes in its new I&T hub near the border with mainland China to cater to the increasing needs of middle-class families and align with the city's strategy to attract top talent, the housing minister has said. Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho Wing-yin also outlined her plans to make public flats in the Northern Metropolis, where the San Tin Technopole innovation and technology (I&T) hub is located, more liveable by integrating them into nature and old villages. 'The technopole is a base camp for new productivity and industry. It is also a base camp for talent, whose requirements, income, affordability and standards for their children's education, among other things, will be higher,' she said on Wednesday last week. 'I think the proportion of subsidised sale homes would be adjusted higher to align with the area's position.' Hongkongers who fulfil asset and income requirements are able to apply for subsidised sale flats. The technopole is a flagship project in the Northern Metropolis, which aims to turn 30,000 hectares (74,132 acres) of land into an engine for economic growth and a housing hub with over 500,000 new flats, accommodating a population of about 2.5 million and around 650,000 jobs.
South China Morning Post
20-07-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
‘Avoid harsh labels for Hong Kong homes certified under subdivided flat regime'
Hong Kong should avoid negative labels for certified subdivided flats as they provide accommodation to people from all walks of life, the housing minister has said, while stressing that a planned shake-up of standards will not drive up rents. In an exclusive interview with the Post, Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho Wing-yin also said temporary flats were likely to continue serving residents in the future and form part of the city's housing ladder, but ruled out plans to further create a supply of starter homes for first-time buyers. Proposals to regulate the city's subdivided housing, which are notorious for their hygiene, safety and security hazards, are currently being scrutinised by the Legislative Council. Under the coming policy, subdivided flats that meet the official standards and are accredited as 'basic housing units' are allowed to remain on the rental market. 'We are giving a certification to basic housing units, which meet basic standards and are no longer inferior. I will not label them. They are simply choices made by different people at different times,' Ho said. She gave the reply to a question about whether authorities would prefer residents to leave such flats and move up the housing ladder.
RTHK
12-07-2025
- Business
- RTHK
'Four years enough time for shoebox flat renovations'
'Four years enough time for shoebox flat renovations' Winnie Ho says people shouldn't fear that rents for upgraded basic housing units will increase, as supply of public housing is increasing. Photo: RTHK Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho on Saturday expressed confidence that owners of shoebox flats will have plenty of time to make necessary changes to their properties to meet new minimum standards currently being considered in Legco. She noted that owners of flats that aren't up to scratch have a total of four years to register their flats and make the needed renovations to comply with new requirements such as a minimum size of eight square metres, the provision of windows and an individual toilet. "Because we currently have a one-year registration period and a three-year grace period, there is a total of four years for everyone to discuss and digest the situation," Ho told an RTHK programme. "We have teams of social workers available to help anyone who needs it. I certainly hope that within these four years, everyone will feel they have enough time to handle the situation -- if they'd put up too many partitions and they have to renovate, surely four years is enough time to renovate a flat, right?" Ho also stressed that even landlords who don't plan to rent out their subdivided units face prosecution if they fail to register their properties. The housing chief urged owners to apply quickly to take advantage of government waivers of a proposed HK$3,000 accredition fee per unit for early birds. Ho also brushed aside suggestions that these upgraded 'basic housing units' will result in higher rents, saying she actually expects rents to go down as housing supply increases. "In early 2025, compared to early 2024, the average rent for subdivided units in Hong Kong dropped by two percent, while general rents have increased. As we all know, market rents are rising, with an overall increase of eight percent," she said. "Rents for subdivided units not only didn't rise, but fell by two percent, creating a gap of 10 percent. We have the land to build and complete public housing so people are moving in. Also, as more light public housing become available, people may choose to stop renting [shoebox flats], which will also have an impact."
South China Morning Post
22-06-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong shoebox flat owners urged to comply with shake-up after years of profits
Hong Kong's housing minister has urged the owners of substandard subdivided flats to comply with a coming regulatory regime that is expected to cost landlords after years of huge profits. The appeal from Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho Wing-yin on Sunday came two days after the government gazetted the Basic Housing Units Bill, which aims to phase out subpar living spaces. The move follows calls from Xia Baolong, Beijing's top official on Hong Kong affairs, for the city to 'bid farewell to subdivided flats and 'cage homes''. Ho on Sunday said: 'When you subdivided a flat into many partitions back then, it was expensive … You still did it because [you] felt that the rental income provided a return. This was a market decision.' She also pointed out that landlords had enjoyed years of profits as a result of their investments. 'Our society has a demand and hopes that [low-income households], when in need, can have living spaces with basic sanitary conditions and a basic amount of room,' the minister said.
RTHK
22-06-2025
- Business
- RTHK
Landlords urged to register basic housing units early
Landlords urged to register basic housing units early Housing Secretary Winnie Ho has called for the early registration of basic housing units. File photo: RTHK Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho has urged subdivided flat landlords to register their properties as basic housing units as soon as possible. Her call came after the government gazetted the Basic Housing Units Bill, which will be introduced into the Legislative Council for its first and second readings next month. From as early as March, landlords will have a year to register followed by a three-year grace period to renovate their flats to meet government requirements, which include a minimum size of eight square metres. Speaking on a Commercial Radio programme on Sunday, Ho said the government would reduce or waive a HK$3,000 accreditation fee for owners who register and complete any renovations early. 'Landlords who register early will enjoy the grace period and an exemption of the accreditation fee. We have designed a fair system, so landlords don't need to hesitate.' Ho said in four years she expected to see around 80,000 basic housing units meeting government requirements. She also said she thought the rent for these units would not rise that much as there would be more public housing supply in future.
