Average waiting time for public housing remains at 5.3 years

The average waiting time for public rental housing (PRH) was maintained at 5.3 years as of the end of June, with 230,000 applicants waiting in the queue, according to the latest statistics announced on Wednesday by the Housing Authority.

Meanwhile, the average waiting time for single elderly applicants also remained unchanged at 3.9 years.

Both figures have marked a stop in the decline in the average waiting period since August last year.

As of the end of June, there were about 133,100 general applications for PRH flats, and about 96,900 non-elderly one-person applications under the Quota and Points System (QPS). 

Compared with the end of March, the latest applications decreased by 300, including 200 from non-elderly one-person applications and 100 from general applications. 

Around 2,300 general applicants were allocated a flat in the first quarter of this year, 510 of which were single elderly applicants and about 450 were non-elderly one-person applicants under the QPS.

The Authority said the average waiting time for general applicants has remained unchanged mainly because the number of applicants allocated a flat in the past three months was similar to the previous quarters.