Public housing waiting time holds at 5.1 years; LPH applicants wait only 3.1 years

Hong Kong’s composite waiting time (CWT) for subsidized rental housing remained at 5.1 years as of the end of September 2025, marking the lowest level since 2018 and a full-year improvement from the peak recorded before the current-term government took office, according to figures released by the Housing Bureau on Wednesday.

The government said that in the third quarter of 2025, as many as 7,900 general applicants were allocated traditional public rental housing (PRH) or light public housing (LPH) units. These included around 1,600 newly completed PRH units, 4,000 recovered PRH flats and 2,300 LPH units.

Among those housed in PRH, more than 85 percent were allocated units in popular urban or extended urban districts, where waiting times are about two years longer than in the New Territories. The bureau said this longer queue time has kept the overall CWT steady at 5.1 years this quarter, despite the substantial supply of nearly 8,000 units.

LPH significantly shortens waiting time, improves living conditions

General applicants allocated LPH units continued to benefit from considerably shorter waiting times. Since the first LPH project began intake in early 2025, LPH residents have waited an average of just 3.1 years — a sharp contrast to the overall PRH queue.

The Housing Bureau said this demonstrates that LPH not only improves living conditions for low-income households but also plays a “key role” in reducing the overall waiting time for public housing.

The first urban-area LPH project, located on Choi Hing Road in Ngau Tau Kok, became fully occupied in early September. Around 70 percent of its residents previously lived in inadequate housing such as subdivided units, rooftop structures and bedspaces.

More supply coming as government aims for 4.5-year waiting time

A Housing Bureau spokesman said the government will continue accelerating public housing construction and advancing remaining LPH projects. About 9,500 LPH units are expected to be completed for intake in 2025, contributing toward the target of delivering 30,000 LPH units by 2027/28. The government’s goal of reducing the CWT to 4.5 years by 2026/27 “remains unchanged.”

As of the end of September, Hong Kong had about 111,600 general applications for PRH and around 85,700 non-elderly one-person applications under the Quota and Points System. 

Compared with the peak of 156,400 and 143,700 cases respectively, the numbers have fallen by roughly 30 percent and 40 percent — a clear sign that the waiting queue is shrinking, the spokesman said.

Looking ahead, the government projects that public housing output — including LPH — will reach about 189,000 units in the five years starting 2026/27, an increase of about 80 percent compared with when the current administration took office. The target of reducing the CWT to 4.5 years in 2026/27 remains intact.