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Housing Department

The latest news and top stories on Hong Kong's Housing Department. A prominent Hong Kong-based governmental body, the Housing Department is the executive arm of the Hong Kong Housing Authority. It is dedicated to administering and enforcing housing policies, managing public housing estates and providing affordable housing for low-income families. Its main areas of focus include enhancing housing supply quality and fostering sustainable development. The department is recognised for its crucial role in addressing Hong Kong’s housing needs and improving residents’ quality of life, having received numerous awards for its projects and services.

At least 220,000 people in the city live in subdivided flats, Photo: Eugene Lee

Hong Kong housing

Only 1 Hong Kong landlord seeks subdivided flat approval as new law takes effect

Housing Bureau receives 316 registration applications involving 1,160 subdivided flats for grace period, but only one to approve certification.

12 Mar 2026 - 11:45AMvideocam

Hong Kong budget 2026-27

Which Hong Kong government departments get budget boosts while others face cuts?

27 Feb 2026 - 9:00AM

Hong Kong housing

Average public housing wait time in Hong Kong rises to 5.6 years

12 Feb 2026 - 10:22PM

Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

Social workers in Tai Po fire relief warn of burnout after colleague dies

Lack of communication by government on aid plans often adds stress to heavy workload, they say.

12 Feb 2026 - 9:42AM

After the catastrophic Tai Po fire last November, the government announced a “one social worker per household” initiative. Photo: Sam Tsang

Hong Kong society

Hong Kong reserves 4,000 homes for tenants hit by subdivided flats overhaul

Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho says demand from 30,000 affected households will be ‘digested’ over extended period.

8 Feb 2026 - 8:23PM

Accidents and personal safety

Construction worker falls, pierces buttock on rebar at Hong Kong government site

Labour authorities investigating after police receive report on Thursday morning of accident at Tung Chung site under Housing Department.

23 Jan 2026 - 12:18AM

Hong Kong fires and safety

Letters | Hong Kong should build a lasting foundation for stronger fire safety

Readers discuss ways to enhance an inspection operation, the survival of cinemas, and the plight of subdivided-flat tenants.

22 Jan 2026 - 11:30AM

A fire service installation around a building in Sai Ying Pun on December 3. Photo: Dickson Lee

Hong Kong housing

Elderly Hongkongers facing eviction over subdivided flat revamp fear losing jobs

Residents of Sham Shui Po’s Yee Wa Building previously told they needed to leave sometime between March and December.

21 Jan 2026 - 5:02AM

Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

Hong Kong authorities start 2-month inspection operation on building fire safety

Fire Services Department begins checks on residential and mixed-use buildings planned at least 39 years ago to ensure safety equipment in place.

19 Jan 2026 - 11:31PM

Hong Kong society

Hong Kong flags 1,600 at-risk elderly households, but experts say more unaccounted

Social welfare lawmaker says the number identified fails to reflect risk status of over 500,000 elderly people living alone or in pairs.

17 Jan 2026 - 11:21PM

Experts have urged the government to speed up efforts to locate more at-risk elderly residents. Photo: Sam Tsang

Hong Kong housing

3 homeowners at Hong Kong’s Redhill Peninsula fined for illegal building works

Homeowners were convicted and fined sums of HK$130,000, HK$85,000 and HK$60,000 for unauthorised works at seaside estate.

12 Jan 2026 - 7:11PM

Landslides triggered by a record-breaking downpour in 2023 drew attention to extensive illegal additions at Redhill Peninsula. Photo: May Tse

Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

Exclusive | Hong Kong surveyor’s undeclared role prompts rule review after deadly Tai Po fire

Arrested surveyor’s undeclared link to Wang Fuk Court triggers move from the government to tighten potential conflict of interest rules.

12 Jan 2026 - 8:30AMvideocam

Hong Kong housing

Hong Kong housing estate flat owners drop contractor linked to Tai Po blaze

Property owners of Tuen Mun estate vote to terminate renovation contract with Prestige, citing safety concerns after fatal Wang Fuk Court fire.

10 Jan 2026 - 6:48PM

Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

Opinion | Hong Kong must tackle long-term problem of building maintenance

Thousands of ageing high-rises will need repair work over the next few years. Responsibility for the projects amid reports of bid-rigging needs to be addressed.

29 Dec 2025 - 5:30AM

Residents of Fu Shin Estate in Tai Po held a meeting on December 20 to discuss their own renovation project after the nearby fire tragedy. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

Hong Kong welfare group scraps ban on Tai Po survivors keeping donated appliances

SideBySide U-turns on policy hours after some residents in temporary housing argue donated items are theirs to keep even after they move out.

21 Dec 2025 - 9:28PM

A Wang Fuk Court resident moves into transitional housing Good House in Tai Po. Photo: Eugene Lee

Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

Probe into allegedly fake mesh certificates widened to 6 Hong Kong estates

Earlier discovery of fake documents at two estates after Tai Po inferno prompted authorities to order removal of mesh at 200 sites last week.

9 Dec 2025 - 11:16PM

Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

Steel bars brought in to strengthen building ravaged in Hong Kong’s Tai Po blaze

Bars hauled into flats at Wang Cheong House, the first of seven blocks engulfed by fire, while authorities say probe will take two to three weeks.

12 Dec 2025 - 6:07PMvideocam

Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

‘I’m worried’: residents of Hong Kong estates in limbo after renovation suspended

Owners at estates with projects by beleaguered contractor for Wang Fuk Court fear they might need to hire new company and spend even more.

5 Dec 2025 - 6:29PM

The blaze at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po has sparked citywide checks of work by renovation contractor Prestige Construction and Engineering Company. Photo: Karma Lo

Accidents and personal safety

Manslaughter hard to prove in Hong Kong fire amid regulatory gaps, experts warn

Threshold for manslaughter prosecution very high, while codes of practice put ‘very little attention’ to materials used in maintenance or non-permanent works.

4 Dec 2025 - 9:22AM

Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

Authorities dispel rumours Hong Kong fire survivors housed in unfinished flats