Ombudsman probes government's work in tackling abuse of public housing resources

The Office of the Ombudsman announced on Thursday the launch of a direct investigation into the government's work in combating the abuse of public housing resources.

The government watchdog said the office has often received public complaints about the improper handling of reports of suspected public rental housing abuse by the Housing Department or the Hong Kong Housing Society.

The demand for public housing has always been high in Hong Kong, regarding which the office said the abuse of public housing not only wastes precious public housing resources but it also prolongs the waiting time of families applying for public rental housing. 

Ombudsman Winnie Chiu Wai-yin said that there should be practical mechanisms and measures for the Housing Department and the Hong Kong Housing Society to effectively detect and curb such abuse to ensure that public housing resources are allocated and utilized fairly and reasonably.

The direct investigation will examine the work of the Hong Kong Housing Authority, the Housing Department, and the Hong Kong Housing Society in combating the abuse of public housing resources.

“The investigation will cover the aforesaid authorities' monitoring of tenants' usage of their flats, vetting of tenants' declaration of income and assets, mechanism and measures for following up on suspected PRH abuse cases, and procedures for recovering flats from tenants who have abused public housing resources. We will make improvement recommendations where necessary," said Chiu.

According to the office, the Housing Department, which is the executive arm of the Hong Kong Housing Authority, and the Hong Kong Housing Society have both set up designated teams to investigate suspected cases of abuse. They can terminate the tenancy and recover the flat in accordance with the terms of tenancy should the cases be substantiated and the tenant's misconduct amounts to a serious breach of the tenancy agreement.