Advertisement

Hong Kong subdivided flat owners ‘may pass on costs to tenants under new rules’

As city moves to legislate minimum standards, industry players also worry that more operators will exit market due to stiffer penalties

Reading Time:3 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
6
The government has gazetted a new bill aimed at improving conditions of Hong Kong’s subdivided flats. Photo: Eugene Lee
Owners of shoebox homes may pass on the extra costs of meeting proposed minimum standards to tenants or consider pulling out of the market, a trade group has said, with Hong Kong authorities pressing ahead with a regulatory regime to oversee the city’s notorious subdivided flats.

Hayson Chan Hin-hay, chairman of the Hong Kong Basic Housing Units Operators Association, told a radio programme on Friday that certification costs alone for a flat subdivided into four units could be as high as HK$50,000 (US$6,340).

The planned legislation, which was gazetted on Friday, marks an important step in creating a much-awaited legal regime to eliminate substandard subdivided flats, with enforcement expected to start in 2027.

Under the authorities’ plan, subdivided flats must fulfil a set of standards laid down for “basic housing units”, which include a minimum size of 86 sq ft, a ceiling height of 2.3 metres (7.5 feet), proper windows and at least one toilet for each unit.

Landlords will be allowed to register their subdivided flats with authorities as early as next March and remain on the rental market if they receive accreditation.

The number of subdivided flats which failed to comply with size requirements stood at 28,600 out of 110,000, according to official figures released late last year. Photo: Elson Li
The number of subdivided flats which failed to comply with size requirements stood at 28,600 out of 110,000, according to official figures released late last year. Photo: Elson Li

The government will charge landlords a registration fee of HK$745 and a HK$3,000 accreditation fee per subdivided unit. But authorities will also introduce various fee waivers to discourage them from rectifying their properties at the last minute.

Advertisement