Living in subdivided flats that nobody wants – the grim struggle to find a home for Hong Kong’s poorer ethnic minorities
In search of affordable housing in the world’s most expensive property market, the city’s non-Chinese residents face the extra hurdle of systemic discrimination
As the phone line went silent, Kaur had a sinking feeling.
She had just revealed to the property agent on the other end that her family was Indian.
After a pause of a few seconds, the agent said: “I’m sorry, the landlord doesn’t want to rent to non-Chinese … as they would make the place smell, and neighbours would complain.”
Since February, the 37-year-old office worker, who only wants to be identified as Kaur, has been trying to find a bigger flat at a rental price of up to HK$10,000 a month for her 64-year-old mother, her younger brother and his wife.
The trio, all permanent residents in the city, now live in a 170 sq ft cubicle on the sixth floor of a dingy To Kwa Wan walk-up building. They pay HK$5,500 a month and share the kitchen and bathroom with another family.
They are among roughly 27,000 Hongkongers from ethnic minorities – excluding those working as domestic helpers – living in cheap partitioned flats, where hygiene is suspect and fire safety risks are high.