Public rental housing tenant sentenced for false statements during application

A public housing tenant was sentenced to 30 days in jail and had her unit repossessed on Monday after failing to declare ownership of properties in Hong Kong when applying for public rental housing (PRH).

It is understood that the tenant did not disclose her ownership of a domestic property in Yuen Long on two declaration forms submitted to the Housing Department (HD) in 2018 and 2019 for a PRH application. This omission led her to successfully obtain a unit in Shek Mun Estate.

Further investigations confirmed her property ownership, rendering her ineligible for PRH.

The HD prosecuted the tenant for knowingly making false statements on her PRH application, a violation of the Housing Ordinance.

She was convicted and sentenced at the Shatin Magistrates' Courts yesterday (Oct 21). Given the severity of the offense and the value of PRH resources, the magistrate ruled out a community service order.

Instead, she received a 20-day prison sentence for each of the two charges, with 10 days to be served concurrently, totaling 30 days' imprisonment. The HD repossessed the PRH unit in May.

A spokesperson emphasized that making false statements during PRH applications can lead to severe penalties, including a fine of up to HK$50,000 and six months' imprisonment. Any PRH application found to be fraudulent will be canceled, and any allocated unit will be repossessed.

The spokesperson also noted public support for the HD's efforts to prevent the misuse of public housing resources and affirmed the department's commitment to continue using comprehensive, risk-based strategies to address this issue.