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Wait for Hong Kong public rental housing drops to 5.7 years as leading provider confident overall supply will log ‘obvious increase’ next year

  • Housing Authority says figure for first quarter of 2024 for families and elderly households down 0.1 years from 5.8 years recorded in previous quarter
  • It also expects average waiting time in 2024 will remain ‘steady in general but may still have slight fluctuations between quarters’

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The Housing Authority says it expects the average waiting time will remain “steady” in 2024. Photo: Jelly Tse

The average waiting time for a Hong Kong public rental flat has dropped slightly to 5.7 years, with the city’s major provider voicing confidence the housing supply will log an “obvious increase” from next year.

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The Housing Authority revealed on Friday that the figure for the first quarter of 2024 for general applicants – families and elderly households – had eased marginally from the 5.8 years recorded in the previous quarter.

Among the 5,300 general applicants housed this quarter, about 2,800 were given refurbished flats. The remaining 2,500 were housed in new flats at Fu Tip Estate in Tai Po.

“Given that the average waiting time of [public housing] applicants for flats in the New Territories is generally shorter than those in [urban districts] by about a year … the average waiting time in the first quarter of 2024 [has been] slightly reduced by 0.1 years to 5.7 years,” the authority said.

The body also said it expected the average waiting time in 2024 would remain “steady in general but may still have slight fluctuations between quarters”.

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Despite the completion of several new housing projects this year, the authority stressed that its efforts would be offset by delays caused by Aggressive Construction Company Limited, which lost its licence due to safety concerns following a spate of fatal accidents.

“Its impact on the average waiting time will take several quarters to be absorbed,” it added.

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