Hong Kong’s poorest squeezed as rents for tiny subdivided flats rise at double rate for other homes
As landlords exploit the city’s most vulnerable, a concern group urges the government to use empty public buildings to house desperate families
Rents for subdivided flats that house some of Hong Kong’s poorest people are rising at almost double the rate of other homes in the private sector, according to a study by a concern group.
An index used by the Platform Concerning Subdivided Flats in Hong Kong found that rents for subdivided flats jumped 13.6 per cent from 350.5 in October 2014 to 398 last October.
In comparison, rents of flats under 430 sq ft in the private sector increased 7.4 per cent from 177.4 to 190.6 in the same period, according to the official index by the Rating and Valuation Department.
The group based its calculations on rent, electricity fees and official rateable values of 68 subdivided units in 29 flats across five districts from July to September this year. Many of the 400 sq ft flats, divided into at least three units, are in Kwun Tong, To Kwa Wan, Kwai Tsing and Tsuen Wan.