HONG KONG, CHINA | Ombudsman announces results of direct investigation operation into Government’s work in combating abuse of public housing resources

On 22 January 2025, the Ombudsman, Mr Jack Chan, announced the completion of a direct investigation operation into the Government’s work in combating the abuse of public housing resources, with 31 major recommendations for improvement made to the Hong Kong Housing Authority (“HKHA”) and the Hong Kong Housing Society (“HKHS”).

For the live broadcast of the press conference, please watch the replay on the Office’s YouTube channel

The current-term Government has done a lot of work on housing policy.  By adopting important strategies of enhancing speed, efficiency, quantity and quality, the Government has endeavoured to increase the supply of public rental housing (“PRH”) and shorten the waiting time for applicants.  These measures have yielded significant results and deserve full recognition. In addition to increasing supply, combating PRH abuse is another key area of the Government’ work.  In recent years, various sectors of the community have formed a strong consensus supporting the Government in stepping up efforts to combat PRH abuse and increase penalties.  The public unanimously recognises that precious PRH resources should be used rationally and focused on people and families with urgent housing needs.

Mr Chan said, “Housing has always been an issue of great concern to the people of Hong Kong.  The Office is pleased that the current-term Government has adopted a determined attitude with a range of deepening reform measures to assist members of the public in need of housing to move to PRH and effectively shortening the waiting time, which is a manifestation of its firm commitment to the principle of Improve People’s Livelihood in Pursuit of Happiness.

“After the Office initiated the direct investigation operation, HKHA and HKHS have taken the initiative to seriously review and implement the enhanced Well-off Tenants Policy.  New measures to step up combating PRH abuse are also introduced in succession, such as exploring amendments to the Housing Ordinance for greater deterrent effect, establishing a data matching and verification mechanism with the Land Registry (“LR”), and launching the Report Public Housing Abuse Award.  In respect of the new mechanism established between HKHA and LR, the land search fee has been significantly reduced, with the average fee per search dropping significantly from $640 to around $4.  HKHA has compared in batches about 358,000 cases of tenants’ declarations of their residency status and ownership of residential properties in Hong Kong with the information in LR, with a view to more effectively detecting applicants and tenants who have withheld information on their properties.  It precisely demonstrates that on the front of combating abuse and ensuring the rational use of PRH resources, the Office is highly aligned with the Government in both principles and actions, working together to address the urgent needs of those who have waited a long time for PRH, thereby enhancing the public’s sense of happiness and contentment.

“Since the current-term Government took office in July 2022, the Housing Department (“HD”) has recovered more than 7,000 flats on the grounds of abuse or breaches of tenancy terms.  The number of recovered flats has already exceeded the total number of flats in a large estate.  The results are remarkable and deserve recognition and commendation from the community. I would like to recognise the positive attitude, correct approach and remarkable results of HKHA and HKHS in combating PRH abuse.

“To go the extra mile, there is still room for improvement on the part of HKHA and HKHS to ensure that their administrative work against PRH abuse is more precise, comprehensive and effective.

To read the full article including the Ombudsman's recommendations, kindly click here.

Source: The Office of the Ombudsman of Hong Kong, China