200 public housing misuse reports received since reward scheme commences

Authorities have received around 200 reports on public housing misuse since the commencement of a cash reward scheme to encourage public housing tenants to report on neighbors, Hong Kong’s housing chief said on Saturday.

Under that move, anyone who successfully helps the authority evict neighbors with information stands to get up to HK$3,000 as an incentive.

Speaking on a radio program this morning, Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho Wing-yin said the number of reports and complaints over suspected public housing abuse has increased since the scheme's commencement.

However, she stressed that a quarter of them opted out of the reward scheme, while errors were found in some complaints. Some informants have also mistaken public housing for subsidized housing or even private properties, she added.

With the introduction of the reward scheme, the government official expects the number of reports in a year to double, possibly reaching 2,600, with some 1,300 of these cases eligible to receive the reward.

The government has already set aside HK$3 million for the reward scheme, she said.

She believes that citizens would report to safeguard public resources, not just for the mere HK$3000 reward.