Editorial | Shorter wait for Hong Kong’s public flats is still far too long
Despite Hong Kong making progress in the provision of homes, cost-effective units must be allocated within a reasonable time frame
Waiting a long time in a queue is no pleasant experience. For the tens of thousands of people applying for public rental flats, it means putting up with a poor living environment and exorbitant rents for years while waiting their turn to be given a home.
In a positive turnaround, the average waiting time for such flats fell to 5.3 years as of the end of 2024, the lowest in six years. It represents a reduction of 0.8 years, or 13 per cent, from the peak of 6.1 years in mid-2022, the highest in 23 years, when Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu took the helm.
According to the Housing Authority, about 5,000 general applicants were allocated a public housing unit in the fourth quarter of 2024, up by about 1,300 on the previous quarter.
Lee must have been proud of this progress when he highlighted the figures this month ahead of a regular meeting of the Executive Council, the city’s highest decision-making body.
This translated into an individual HK$30,000 (US$3,900) savings in rent and a better living environment for those in the queue, Lee said, expressing confidence that the period would fall to 4.5 years in the coming five years when more public housing units become available.
His administration is to be commended for its vigorous efforts in enhancing the supply of such homes, including rolling out “no-frills” light public housing for interim use and tougher action against abuses by tenants to help free up more properties for those in greater need.