Public housing waiting time still over five years

Average waiting time for public rental housing remained at 5.3 years by the end of June - the same as three months ago.

The Housing Authority also reported that the waiting time for single elderly applicants remained the same as the end of March at 3.9 years.

Both figures mark a stop in the decline of waiting period since August last year.

The authority added that about 2,300 applicants were allocated a flat in the first quarter of this year, 510 of whom were single elderly applicants.

In the first quarter, about 450 single non-elderly applicants were allocated a flat under the Quota and Points System.

The authority added that there are 133,100 general applications for public rental flats, and 96,900 single non-elderly applicants under the Quota and Points System are still waiting for a flat.

A spokesman for the Housing Authority said the average waiting time remained the same as applicants being allocated a flat in the past three months had a similar waiting time as those in the previous quarters.

But he emphasized that the average waiting time is determined by various factors, including the number of flats available for allocation, number of applicants and the district chosen by the applicants.

The deputy chairman of the Legislative Council's panel on housing, Leung Man-kwong, said he was disappointed that the average waiting time for single elderly applicants remained at 3.9 years.

He called on the government to continue shortening the average waiting time of public rental housing applicants.