Editorial | Public housing abuse in Hong Kong requires a firm hand
The authorities in Hong Kong are right to scrutinise the eligibility of those living in subsidised flats, even if the residents are elderly
The acute shortage of subsidised housing for low-income families has prompted the Hong Kong government to seriously crack down on abuses, and rightly so.
Having recovered thousands of such flats from ineligible households over the past year, the authorities are turning to long-residing elderly tenants in the latest round of compulsory reporting.
While officials are prepared to adopt greater flexibility when assessing the eligibility of seniors, fair use of public resources remains the key.
The 120,000 elderly households with a tenancy of 15 years or more are only required to report whether they stay in the allocated flats “continuously”, unlike in previous phases that mandated tenants to also declare assets, including private properties.
The authorities said they would assess each case individually and consider valid reasons for absences, such as health issues and hospitalisation, before taking any action.
The focus is on ongoing occupancy, instead of strictly adhering to the requirement that tenants must stay in the unit for three consecutive months.