Hong Kong's subdivided flat dwellers pay more rent for smaller, substandard space
Study details cramped conditions that workers and even univesity-educated tenants endure
Residents of subdivided flats are squeezed into an average living space of just 68 square feet - half the space that people living in public housing have - and per square foot they pay a premium of almost 28 per cent to typical market rents, a study has found.
The figures from the government-commissioned research come a day after the housing minister said around 170,000 Hongkongers are living in such small, substandard homes.
The study also found that almost 9 per cent of sampled residents of subdivided flats were not low-wage workers but in fact had completed tertiary education.
Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying said yesterday the problem of subdivided flats was "serious".
"We have to continue our work in increasing housing and land supply," he said.
Subdivided homes, found in old buildings in high-density urban areas, are mostly inhabited by low-income workers and new immigrants because of their typically convenient locations and low rents. But poor workmanship means fire hazards are rife, alongside water leaks and excess loads on building structures.