Decreasing trend in young public housing applicants

Politicians said the number of Public Rental Housing (PRH) applications from the age group under 30 has shown a declining trend, indicating a positive turn in the situation.

According to the statistics from the Housing Bureau, there were 38,000 under 30 applying for non-elderly one-person households in 2022, down from 66,500 in 2017.

Among the young applicants, 52 percent hold a post-secondary or higher education qualification.

Lawmaker Chow Man-kong said Monday that the youngest applicants being allocated public housing in the category are typically between 47 and 52 years old. 

He added that waiting for PRH is not feasible for youngsters as flat allocation could take at least 29 years, provided they meet the income and asset limits.

Chow further noted that the concept of "lying flat" -- refers to a laid-back attitude to not overstretch at work and to adopt a monastic approach toward life -- is not embraced by the majority of young Hongkongers. 

He stated that the current trend of young people applying for public housing has shown a decrease, and the relaxation of the mortgage loan guarantee arrangements for subsidized sale flats could help young people move up the housing ladder.

Anthony Chiu Kwok-Wai, the executive director of the Federation of Public Housing Estates, acknowledged that some young people may apply for public housing while studying or upon graduation. 

However, he does not believe this represents the "lying flat" trend among young people, as the chances of young applicants being allocated public housing are generally low as they could exceed the income threshold for public housing after a few years of work.

Chiu suggested adjusting the ratio of subsidized sale flats and PRH to 50:50 to create more homeownership opportunities for young people.