The initial phase of the early-bird registration scheme under the government's Basic Housing Unit (BHU) regime concluded on Monday.
As of mid-August, more than 34,000 subdivided units had been registered with the authorities.
The government introduced the regulatory framework for the BHU regime on March 1 to improve living conditions across the city, establishing a 48-month transitional period.
Under the system, subdivided units must satisfy mandatory baseline standards and secure official BHU recognition before landlords can legally lease them to tenants.
The regime requires each subdivided unit to comply with eight minimum standards, including an internal floor area of at least eight square meters, a separate toilet and a window, a separate water meter and electricity meter for each unit, with independent billing.
According to the Housing Bureau, applicants who complete their grace-period registration and apply for BHU recognition as early as possible during the first three years of the regulatory regime—from March 1, 2026, to February 28, 2029—will qualify for application fee reductions.
The second round of early-bird registration opens tomorrow and will run through February 28, 2027.
While applicants under this second phase remain eligible for fee concessions, the timeline for full benefits is tighter: fee waivers will apply only during the first two years, while applications submitted in the third year will receive a 50 percent discount.
