First light public housing to be ready next year: govt
Officials said on Monday that Hong Kong's first light public housing project will be completed by the end of the first quarter of 2025. The idea of modular units for people on the waiting list for public housing was introduced in Chief Executive John Lee's policy address in 2022. The first 2,100 such homes to be completed will be at a site on Yau Pok Road in Yuen Long. At a groundbreaking ceremony for the project, Housing Secretary Winnie Ho said the application arrangements for the units will be announced soon. “There are one-to-two person units and three-to-four person units here in Yuen Long. The one-to-two person units are about 140 square feet and rent for HK$740 per month. The three-to-four person units are about 260 to 270 square feet and rent for about HK$1,420 per month,” she said.  In 2026, other modular units are expected to be made available in Tuen Mun, Ngau Tau Kok and Kai Tak. Separately, Ho said officials will ask public flat tenants who own vehicles to declare how much they are worth, as part of a crackdown on abuse of housing resources. The authorities had earlier begun looking into whether tenants owned property overseas or on the mainland, to ensure that public flats go only to those eligible for them.  Ho said car owners would face consequences if they don't tell the truth about the value of their vehicles. “If we find false reporting or deliberate concealment, there will be consequences such as fines and even criminal liability,” she said. The housing minister added that officials are analysing data to asses whether public housing rents should be increased this year.