$75,000 paid out after 5,400 public housing abuse tip-offs

The Housing Department has received 5,400 real-name reports under a reward scheme for reporting abuse of public housing, with HK$75,000 in rewards paid out so far.

The Housing Authority launched the Report Public Housing Abuse Award scheme last year to encourage members of the public to provide concrete information on suspected misuse of public rental housing flats. Informants whose information leads to the successful issuance of a notice-to-quit may receive a reward of up to HK$3,000.

The figures were disclosed in a written reply by Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho Wing-yin to Liberal Party lawmaker Michael Lee Chun-keung.

The Housing Bureau said that after preliminary screening, about 900 of the 5,400 reports contained basic information suitable for follow-up investigation.

As of the end of March 2026, investigations had been completed for 600 of the 900 follow-up cases. The assessment committee had completed two rounds of review and confirmed 25 substantiated cases.

The 25 informants involved each received a HK$3,000 reward and a certificate of appreciation. The Housing Authority has also issued notices-to-quit to all tenants involved in the 25 substantiated abuse cases.

The bureau said the time required for investigation and assessment depends on the nature of each case.

Cases involving vacant flats or non-continuous residence generally require a three-month observation period before they can be concluded. Cases involving false declarations of income, assets or overseas properties may take longer, as the department needs to obtain evidence from other government departments, financial institutions or overseas authorities.

For the 25 substantiated cases, the investigations took between three and eight months to complete, the bureau added.
 

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