Regulate flat size in Hong Kong for the sake of our mental health

Alice Wu says something has gone wrong when some so-called nano flats that don’t even meet international standards for a jail cell are being sold for millions, and the government must step in

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Members of a civic group call for affordable housing for Hong Kong people, at a rally outside the Legislative Council building last October. The Hong Kong government must ensure Hongkongers not only have a place to live, but can also enjoy adequate living space. Photo: Sam Tsang

Published: 10:46am, 8 Apr 2018Updated: 5:31pm, 8 Apr 2018

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor ruled out rent controls or subsidies to help struggling residents, at her question-and-answer session last month at a Legislative Council meeting. The government is sticking to the plan it has used for years: find land for the construction of new flats.

Increasing land supply is crucial, of course, but it would be a mistake to believe that it is all the government needs to and can do. With the rise of micro or “nano” flats in Hong Kong – a 209 sq ft apartment in Pok Fu Lam was sold for an eye-watering HK$7.8 million (US$1 million) last month – the government cannot wash its hands of ensuring its residents not only have a place to live, but can also enjoy adequate living space.

This is not a frivolous concern. The Hong Kong Jockey Club Disaster Preparedness and Response Institute and the HKSKH Lady MacLehose Centre jointly conducted an investigation recently into how living in a subdivided flat affects a person’s mental health. They found that 80 per cent of the occupants surveyed suffered mental distress. In a follow-up study, researchers interviewed 10 of the occupants and found that they all reported a deterioration in their mental health; seven of them displayed signs of depression and/or anxiety while two were diagnosed with a mental disorder.

A man sits inside a subdivided residential unit, known as a “coffin home”, in Hong Kong. Research on life in subdivided flats found that many occupants suffered mental stress from the poor conditions. Photo: Bloomberg

Distressingly, these Hong Kong hellholes – subdivided flats, cage homes and the like – appear to have inspired the rise of so-called nano flats. We can now add “designer subdivided flats” to the long list of tricks property developers use to squeeze every cent out of buyers.

Developers justify the building of these tiny flats by saying they meet market needs. As proof, they cite the flats’ popularity with young buyers. But the real beneficiaries of these claustrophobic units at high prices are the developers, who are laughing all the way to the bank.

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