Exclusive | Hong Kong subdivided flats to be regulated in phases, higher-risk homes priority: official

Winnie Ho says proposed regulations will need time to be debated and only enforced when temporary housing is ready for uprooted tenants

Reading Time:3 minutes

Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho has cautioned that an aggressive move will force landlords out of business, resulting in buildings ageing and awaiting redevelopment. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Published: 9:00pm, 29 Jul 2024Updated: 9:23pm, 29 Jul 2024

Hong Kong authorities will regulate subdivided flats in phases, with higher-risk homes in certain districts and buildings prioritised for eradication, the housing minister has revealed ahead of a review of proposed standards by the city leader next month.

But the regulations proposed by a task force would need time for public debate and only be enforced when temporary housing was ready to accommodate uprooted tenants, Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho Wing-yin said in an exclusive interview with the Post.

“No one will be left homeless … When we really need to take action, we will do it in batches or even one building at a time. It will be more manageable,” she said, adding that authorities would prioritise enforcement in districts where such problems were more severe.

Ho said she would adopt a pragmatic approach and was mindful of how many households would be affected when the move took place, as she was working on the regulatory details before submitting the proposals to Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu for review in August.

“We often think about the issue from a professional perspective, but I remind myself to also consider it from the point of view of residents living in subdivided homes,” said Ho, who is deputy head of the cross-departmental task force that is looking at how subdivided flats can be regulated.