Exclusive | Hong Kong officials ‘consider review of rental bed limit’ to clamp down on cage homes
- Current law requires landlords to get licence if flat has 12 or more rental beds, but source says some just opt for 11 sleeping areas
Under the Bedspace Apartments Ordinance enacted in 1994, the owners of flats with 12 or more sleeping areas up for rent must apply for a licence from the Home Affairs Department.
A source familiar with the situation said some property owners were getting around applying for licences by having just 11 beds per flat.
The insider said a task force set up to tackle the problem of subdivided homes had discussed reviewing the ordinance during a meeting in mid-June.
“The review can plug the loopholes of the regulation by preventing landlords from abusing the law, while trying to minimise the number of subdivided flats of poor quality,” the source said.
The website for the Office of the Licensing Authority, a body under the department, showed the city only had six such licensed flats as of June 28.