Shoddy subdivided flats 'must go'

Rachael Ng

A point system should be introduced to ban low-quality subdivided flats, the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong says, as a task force tackling the issue is set to submit a proposal to Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu this month.

There are some 108,200 subdivided flats in Hong Kong, with more than 215,700 people living in them, according to the Census and Statistics Department.

Lee said in his policy address in October that a task force would be established to handle the problem, including conducting research and setting minimum standards for the living environment. The task force, led by Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong Wai-lun, will submit administrative and legislative recommendations this month, sources said.

The DAB yesterday proposed 18 initiatives, calling for the implementation of a registration protocol and the elimination of inferior units using a point system.

Vincent Cheng Wing-shun, deputy chairman of the Legislative Council panel on housing, said he will meet Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho Wing-yin today and expects authorities to eliminate low-quality subdivided flats in two to three years after legislation.

"Some of subdivided flats are really too small and unfit for human habitation," Cheng said.

Regulatory authorities should establish a point system to clamp down on low-quality subdivided housing and formulate enforcement plans based on risk scores, the DAB said.

Unauthorized units and those that have obvious structural safety problems, do not comply with land-lease terms and have high safety risks should be banned as a priority, it added.

"To ensure that all subdivided house rentals are subject to government supervision and regulation, a registration system should be developed to allow the government to know the overall situation of subdivided housing," Cheng said.

He said owners must register their subdivided rental properties within a certain period of time after the law's implementation, otherwise they would be deemed illegal.

Another DAB lawmaker, Chan Hok-fun, said the current per capita area allocated for public rental units is no less than seven square meters, or smaller than 160.7 square feet. The government should set a minimum area standard of no less than seven sq m for subdivided flats.

Chan said many subdivided flats have hygiene and safety issues, including the kitchen and toilet being in the same room. "These two areas must be separated," he added.

Cheng said the government can initially use the seven sq m as a benchmark, with the standard adjusted over time.

"If the government wants to increase it to 10 sq m, the DAB will very much welcome it," he said. "The average height of men in Hong Kong is about 1.75m so the height measured from the floor to the ceiling must be no less than 1.8m," he added.

A woman surnamed Chan, whose family of four live in a Sham Shui Po subdivided flat of less than 100 sq ft, said she has been waiting for public housing for three years.

"The place I am living in can't even fit a bed. I don't want to stay inside the flat when the cooking hob is on. It's too hot," she said.

"I hope the government can deal with the problem of inferior subdivided flats as soon as possible."

Another tenant, Chau, who has cataracts and bowel cancer, lives in an 80 sq ft rooftop subdivided unit. He said the owner has received a notice from the Buildings Department that his flat will be demolished within six months and that he will soon be evicted.

"It's inconvenient for me to walk and I can't see clearly. I hope I can live in the same district or it will be inconvenient for me to attend follow-up appointments with a doctor," Chau said.

rachael.ng@singtaonewscorp.com