customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

sponsorType

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

factSheets

series

summary

updatedDate

knowledgeQuestion

disableOffPlatformContent

published

subHeadline

body

keywords

copyrighted

customTimezone

liveContents

Vivian Au

Harvey Kong

Hongkonger John Chan* was 18 and still in secondary school when he put his name down for a public rental flat, knowing there would be a long wait.
He had just become eligible, there was no cost in applying and he was tired of being squeezed in the family home with six others.
Now 30, a graduate and working for a social enterprise, he is still waiting for a flat. He said if there was a danger that his income would make him ineligible, he would quit to stay in the queue.
Chan is among a group of young Hongkongers for whom scoring a public rental flat beats trying to rent or buy anything else in one of the world’s most expensive housing markets.
By applying early, they get a head start in the public housing queue. They also meet the income criteria of HK$12,940 (US$1,660) for a single applicant or HK$19,730 for a two-person household. It is legal too.
The phenomenon has sparked debate recently, with officials advising young people to stop applying too early for public housing, while younger people and others concerned argued the practice reflected the severe shortage of housing options in the city.
Officials who highlighted and criticised the phenomenon in recent months said young people were gambling with their future and disregarding their job prospects.
They likened the practice to “lying flat”, a mainland Chinese term for young people who do the bare minimum to get by, striving for little more than the essentials for survival.
In March, Housing Director Rosanna Law Shuk-pui raised the subject, asking young people not to rely on public housing.
In May, housing minister Winnie Ho Wing-yin warned that these young people were jeopardising their advancement in life, although she told the Post recently she did not think that those “lying flat” were in the majority.
Last month, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu weighed in too, urging young people not to sacrifice their dreams for a public flat and criticised those who lowered their income artificially to remain eligible.

Why join the public housing queue at 18?
The Post interviewed three young Hongkongers to ask them why they joined the queue early for a public rental flat.
They said it was all they could afford. The average monthly rent for public rental housing was HK$2,527 last year and the average monthly income of public rental housing households was HK$26,057, according to official data.
Chan, a social enterprise employee, said he hoped to own his own home one day, but for now, just wanted an affordable space to get away from his crowded family home.
He said the family of seven had a 500 sq ft flat and as a child, he had to share a room with two elder sisters.
He recalled his parents arguing over money and mortgage payments and the crowded conditions led to conflicts that got so bad sometimes that police were called.
“My parents earned a total of around HK$50,000 a month and the mortgage payments took half of their salaries. I witnessed their struggle,” he said.
As a social science graduate who chose to work in a social enterprise, he had to come to terms with the lower pay and prospects in the sector.
“I foresee that my salary will not increase and will remain at a low level in the coming years due to the development of the industry,” he said.
He stressed that being in the social service sector was his choice, but he also realised there was no way he could afford to buy a flat. So applying for a public rental flat was his only option.
If he could not have his own home one day, he said, he would not have children.
Medical sector worker Kit Lee* applied for a rental flat when he was 20. Six years later, when he learned that his application was going to be considered, he quit his job to remain eligible.
It took another two years before he was allocated a flat of about 200 sq ft in 2021 and moved in with his sister.
He worked briefly as a photography assistant, pursuing his interest, but has since returned to his job in the medical sector.
He disagreed with the government’s criticism of young people like him.
“They should not condemn or criticise those who go for public housing, they should resolve the reasons so many people cannot afford to buy their own flats,” Lee, now 31, said.

He and his sister do not have separate rooms in their rental flat, but it is an upgrade from the 400 sq ft family home they previously shared with five others.
“I used to have a bed in the living room,” he recalled. “When my family members woke up to go to work in the morning, I would hear them. If they switched on the TV, even if the volume was very low, I would hear it and wake up.”
Happy that he got his rental flat, he did not consider it his long-term home. He said his goal was to save enough to buy his own flat.
Unlike Lee, Soy Wong* never put owning a flat on her wish list.
She was 18 and single when she joined the queue for public housing and it took 11 years before she finally got her flat in the Islands district last year.
Now 30 and married, she said she and her husband were design freelancers earning about HK$18,000 a month and she also did environment-related volunteer work.
“Buying a flat would limit my life choices as I’d have to pay the monthly mortgage,” she said.
Disagreeing with the officials’ definition of “lying flat”, she said Hong Kong society focused too much on money instead of spiritual values.
She said those who were lying flat could also create value for society and being a volunteer was a way to enrich her spiritual life.
Wong said young people who applied for public rental flats were merely making use of available social resources and this was “totally reasonable”.
“We qualify to apply for public rental housing as our income does not exceed the limit. This is our choice,” she said.
In a recent interview, housing minister Ho conceded that the shortage of public housing options and high property prices of the past had left young people with few choices.
“We hope to offer them a vision. We will continue to build subsidised housing and steadily supply public housing flats in the future,” she said.
Authorities have identified sufficient land to build about 410,000 public flats from 2024-25 to 2033-34, exceeding the demand for 308,000 homes for the next decade.
Early this month, Housing Director Law said authorities were also considering a plan to help younger people buy their own homes.
Housing Department statistics showed that the proportion of applicants aged below 30 was 7 per cent of the total in the past two years, down from 9 per cent in 2022 and 10 per cent in 2021 and 2020.
Risk of ‘downward mobility’
Lawmaker Wendy Hong Wen was most concerned about young people who deliberately earned less than they were capable of, just to qualify for a public rental flat.
Fearing that this would put Hong Kong society at risk of downward mobility, she said: “Society will not improve and we need to provide hope for young people.”
She said the government had to find ways to provide more affordable homes, including for young people, to address the issue of those “lying flat”.
“The overwhelming demand for public rental homes indicates there is a lack of other housing options including subsidised flats for sale, while most young people have no other way to buy flats,” she said.
She also urged authorities to increase the number of subsidised flats for sale. “We need to adjust the ratio of public rental and subsidised housing to 50-50 from 70-30 immediately,” she said.
She suggested differentiating clearly between public flats for sale and rent, for example, by their size and quality.
“The size of subsidised sale flats should be generally larger than public rental homes,” she added.
Population expert Paul Yip Siu-fai said Hong Kong’s young people were “lying flat” and choosing public rental flats because years of soaring property prices left them with no hope of buying their own homes.
“The housing policy of Hong Kong is distorted while the supply of subsidised flats is low and cannot satisfy the demand from young people,” said the chair professor (population health) at the University of Hong Kong’s department of social work and social administration.
He said it was difficult for young people to earn an income that was high enough to afford a flat unless they were professionals or among the elite in the financial sector.
“Buying their own homes has become an unattainable goal,” he added.
He said he did not think “lying flat” affected most young Hongkongers, but he also did not expect the issue to be resolved any time soon.

‘Share co-living spaces, go abroad’
Social worker Sze Lai-shan said most young people she encountered applying for public housing had a genuine need, either due to their family background or earning ability.
The deputy director of the NGO Society for Community Organisation said there were not enough affordable housing options for young people.
They included subsidised flats sold under the government’s Home Ownership Scheme, the Starter Homes Pilot Project and the second-hand market.
Youth hostels that were either fully funded or subsidised by the government provided accommodation at a discount for young people, but there were limited spaces and residents could stay for up to five years only.
The income limits for public housing applications meant that even low-income applicants could bust the ceiling if they worked just a little more.
Sze urged authorities to provide more housing options for young people and review the current income limits for public housing.
Jason Yip Wai-cheong, former CEO of youth think tank MWYO, said the recent remarks by officials only reflected a wider concern for young people, particularly their development potential.
Now a social impact consultant, he said he had not encountered any young person who had deliberately brought down their income to qualify for a public rental flat but was not surprised there may be such cases.
He said high property prices and values dominant in society forced everyone to believe that owning a home and pursuing higher pay was better, but he also saw young people choosing to pursue their own paths and dreams.
He felt young people would benefit from keeping an open mind and seeking diverse life experiences instead of focusing on obtaining a flat.
They could consider alternative arrangements such as sharing co-living spaces and even spending time overseas.
“Young people can have a more complete outlook on life, for instance, by embracing the world and making more good friends too,” he said.
* Names changed at interviewees’ request


Hong Kong developers launch price war to ‘kick-start market’ ahead of Fed rate cut

5 Hong Kong housing estates to be refurbished according to new well-being design guide

Peak distress in Hong Kong property market

Hong Kong property market seems to be becoming subsistence-driven

Hong Kong housing

Are young Hongkongers choosing to pursue public rental flats over their dreams?

 Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

Shek Kip Mei Estate. Young people have been advised to stop applying too early for public housing. Photo: Sam Tsang

Housing chief Winnie Ho (left) and housing Director Rosanna Law. The latter earlier asked young people not to rely on public housing. Photo: Dickson Lee

Population expert Paul Yip says he does not think “lying flat” affects most young Hongkongers. Photo: K. Y. Cheng

Hong Kong could adjust public-to-subsidised housing ratio to help young people own flats

Nam Shan Estate in Shek Kip Mei. Photo: Eugene Lee

Potential homebuyers view residential floor plans at the Hong Kong Housing Authority office in Lok Fu. Photo: May Tse

How is Hong Kong clamping down on abuse of public housing? The Post outlines the tactics

Queen’s Hill Estate in Fanling, where an inspection revealed a tenant’s luxury car, which exposed their true financial position. Photo: Edmond So

Director of Housing Rosanna Law vows a clampdown on people who cheat the public housing system will continue. Photo: Edmond So

Tenants in public housing now have to make an income and asset declaration every two years, rather than once a decade. Photo: Yik Yeung-man

‘Chase your dreams, not public housing,’ John Lee tells young Hongkongers

Chief Executive John Lee says young people may regret their choices or limit their potential by focusing on securing public rental flats. Photo: Yik Yeung-man

A public housing estate near Lion Rock mountain in Wong Tai Sin. Photo: Jelly Tse

News

Hong Kong

Society

Officials caution against ‘lying flat’, but young people point to severe shortage of housing choices


Officials caution against ‘lying flat’, but young people point to severe shortage of housing choices.


Focus