Ombudsman pushes for faster recovery of flats

Ayra Wang

The Housing Department and Housing Society should streamline workflows, revise tenant communication protocols and enhance data systems to accelerate the turnover of public rental housing units, said the Ombudsman yesterday.

The call followed a direct probe of the SAR administration's handling of recovered, refurbished and reallocated flats, resulting in 19 key recommendations.

Ombudsman Jack Chan Jick-chi emphasized the urgency of optimizing housing resources, saying the department and society recovered an average of 157,000 and 1,100 rental flats annually over the past five years.

He acknowledged the department's efforts to expedite the process, including advanced contractor notifications and expanded renovation allowances implemented since November.

"The current administration has diligently identified sites and built housing estates to address the pressing housing crisis," Chan said.

"It endeavors to enhance quantity, speed, efficiency and quality while adopting a proactive approach to improve public satisfaction."

Chan also described the administration's efforts to combat public housing abuse as "tangible."

Key recommendations for the department include improving procedures for reclaiming flats after single tenants died, strengthening staff training, setting reallocation targets and upgrading data systems to track refurbishment timelines.

Tenants will also be encouraged to provide email addresses to facilitate communication.

The society was urged to adopt the measures suggested for the department as well as reducing refurbishment work orders to under 14 days and exploring a tenant assurance program for those surrendering flats due to elder care or imprisonment. Both agencies accepted all suggestions.