Basic housing units push not enough

Cheng Wong

More than 60 percent of lower-income tenants believe the proposed minimum eight square meters for basic housing units is inadequate.

A recent Society for Community Organization poll found that nearly 70 percent of respondents are concerned that insufficient living space impacts the growth of children and teenagers.

More than half feared they would not receive proper housing.

Some tenants, who had lived in overcrowded conditions, claimed they were forced to relocate by landlords last year.

That came after new rules on minimum sizes for subdivided flats were announced, causing landlords to reconfigure properties into bigger units.

The poll also highlighted that while some substandard units technically meet size requirements, the actual per capita living space remains alarmingly low due to high occupancy rates.

The Society for Community Organization called for calculations on subdivided flats to be based on per capita living space, the definition be widened to include bunk bedrooms and cubicle flats and for relocation help and rental subsidies.

The Legislative Council will consider the new rules once consultations conclude on February 10.