Hong Kong Housing Authority

Hong Kong government agency

Hong Kong Housing Authority香港房屋委員會

Agency overview
Formed| April 1973; 51 years ago (1973-04)
Headquarters| 33 Fat Kwong Street, Ho Man Tin
Agency executive|

* Eva Cheng, Chairwoman

Website| housingauthority.gov.hk

Not to be confused with Housing Department.

Hong Kong Housing Authority

Traditional Chinese| 香港房屋委員會
Simplified Chinese| 香港房屋委员会
| Transcriptions

Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin| Xiānggǎng Fángwū Wěiyuánhuì
Wade–Giles| Hsiang1-kang3 Fang2-wu1 Wei3yüan2hui4
IPA| [ɕjáŋ.kàŋ fǎn.ú wěɪ.ɥɛ̌n.xwêɪ]
Yue: Cantonese
Yale Romanization| Hēung góng fòhng ūk wái yùhn wúi
Jyutping| Hoeng1 gong2 fong4 uk1 wai2 jyun4 wui2
IPA| [hœŋ˥.kɔŋ˧˥.fɔŋ˩.ʊk̚˥.wɐj˧˥.jyn˩.wuj˧˥]
Part of a series on

Living spaces

Main

* House: detached
* semi-detached
* terraced
* Apartment
* Bungalow
* Cottage
* Ecohouse
* Green home
* Housing project
* Human outpost
* I-house
* Ranch
* Tenement
* Condominium
* Mixed-use development
* Hotel
* Hostel
* Castle
* Public housing
* Squat
* Flophouse
* Shack
* Slum
* Shanty town
* Villa

Issues

* Affordability
* Affordability in the United States
* Executive housing
* Environmental:
* design
* planning
* racism
* Environmental security
* Eviction
* Fair housing
* Healthiness
* Homelessness
* Housing crisis
* Housing discrimination
* Housing stress
* Overpopulation
* Housing inequality
* Home ownership
* Luxury apartments
* Ownership equity
* Permit
* Rent
* Subprime lending
* Subsidized housing
* Sustainable:
* architecture
* development
* living
* Sustainable city
* Toxic hotspot
* Vagrancy

Society and politics

* Housing First
* Housing subsidy
* NIMBY
* Rapid Re-Housing
* Real estate appraisal
* Real estate bubble
* Real estate economics
* Real estate investing
* Redlining
* Rent regulation
* Right to housing
* Rent control
* Rent strike
* Tenants union
* YIMBY

Other

* Alternative lifestyle
* Assisted living
* Boomtown
* Cottage homes
* Eco-cities
* Ecovillage
* Foster care
* Green building
* Group home
* Halfway house
* Healthy community design
* Homeless shelter
* Hospital
* Local community
* Log house
* Natural building
* Nursing home
* Orphanage
* Prison
* Psychiatric hospital
* Residential care
* Residential treatment center
* Retirement community
* Retirement home
* Supportive housing
* Supported living

Housing portal

* v
* t
* e

The Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA) is the main provider of public housing in Hong Kong. It was established in April 1973 under the Housing Ordinance and is an agency of the Government of Hong Kong. In the same year, the Resettlement Department and the Building Section of the Urban Services Department were merged to form the Housing Department, which acts as the Housing Authority's executive body.[1]

## History

[edit]

The modern Housing Authority was founded in 1973.

In 2005, most Housing Authority-owned shopping centres and car parks were controversially divested to The Link REIT.

A citywide scandal erupted in 2015 after heavy metals were found in the water supply of some housing estates, schools, and private residential buildings. The contamination was first identified at Kai Ching Estate, opened in 2013. A task force found that the contamination was caused by solder joints with high lead content.[2]

## Responsibilities

[edit]

Outside of public housing provision, the authority is also responsible for the management of public rental housing estates, interim housing estates, transit centres, demolished factories and ancillary commercial and non-domestic facilities such as shopping centres, market stalls and car parks. It also acts as the agent for the government when it comes to clearing land, and according to its own policy "preventing squatting and implementing improvements in squatter areas."[3]

Though most commercial assets of the Housing Authority were divested to the Link REIT in 2005, the Housing Authority still manages some shopping centres as well as 21 markets.[4] There have been calls for the government to buy back the properties sold to the Link as rent increases have placed a financial burden on public housing residents.[4]

## Composition

[edit]

At the time of its creation, membership of the authority was made up as follows:[5]

* Secretary of Housing (chairman)
* Eight Urban Councillors
* Five unofficial members
* Six official members

Currently, members are appointed by the Chief executive of Hong Kong. They are: the chairman, Vice-chairman, two official members and 26 non-official members.[when?][3]

## Roles

[edit]

The Authority operates the Tenants Purchase Scheme, the Home Ownership Scheme and the Private Sector Participation Scheme. They were also formerly responsible for a loan scheme targeted at low-income home buyers, which provided interest-free loans of up to HK$530,000 or monthly mortgage subsidies of up to HK$3,800 to help low-income individuals or families buy their own flats.

More than 8,000 low-income families are subsidised, although the scheme was halted in 2003 pending a review. In June 2004, the definitive abolition of the scheme was announced.[6]

In 2019, the 4,871 flats from six estates was largest number of subsidised homes put on the market since the Home Ownership Scheme was restarted in 2011; But only 54 of 80 randomly selected buyers turned up – a low turnout rate that would have been unheard of in the past.[7]

## Key people

[edit]

Since 1 July 2007, following a reorganisation of government agencies, the role of Chairman of the Housing Authority is held by the Secretary for Transport and Housing (a position created in 2007). This role was previously held by the Secretary for Housing, Planning and Lands.[8] The Director of Housing is vice-chairman of the HA.[3] Past and present Chairpersons of the Hong Kong Housing Authority have included:

* Eva Cheng: 2017–present (2nd term)
* Anthony Cheung: 2012–2017
* Eva Cheng: 2007–2012 (1st term)
* Michael Suen: 2002–2007
* Dr. Cheng Hon-kwan: 2000–2002
* Dame Dr. Rosanna Wong Yick-ming: 1992–2000
* Sir David Akers-Jones: 1987–1992

## Location

[edit]

The Hong Kong Housing Authority Headquarters are located at 33 Fat Kwong Street, Ho Man Tin, Kowloon. The Hong Kong Housing Authority Exhibition Centre is located nearby at 3/F, Homantin Plaza, 80 Fat Kwong Street.

## See also

[edit]

* Public housing in Hong Kong
* Hong Kong Housing Society
* The Link REIT
* List of public housing estates in Hong Kong
* List of Home Ownership Scheme Courts in Hong Kong
* My Home Purchase Plan
* Public factory estates in Hong Kong

## References

[edit]

1. ^ ""Memories of Home – 50 Years of Public Housing in Hong Kong"" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 February 2011. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
2. ^ "Explainer: How the water lead contamination scare became a citywide concern". 13 July 2015.
3. ^ a b c Hong Kong Housing Authority About Us page
4. ^ a b "LCQ3: Management of retail facilities in public housing estates". Legislative Council. 16 March 2016.
5. ^ Hung, Edward (26 June 1977). "'New' Housing Authority in for bigger responsibility" (PDF). The Standard. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 April 2008. Retrieved 27 April 2007.
6. ^ 25,000 HA flats up for sale, but no more loans Archived 22 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine, The Standard, 3 June 2004
7. ^ chan, ho him (9 December 2019). "Hong Kong homebuyers scramble for new batch of subsidised flats – with HK$5.29 million home snapped up in 30 minutes". scmp. scmp. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
8. ^ Press release: "STH Appointed as Housing Authority Chairman", June 2007

## Further reading

[edit]

* Smart, Alan (1 June 2006). The Shek Kip Mei Myth: Squatters, Fires and Colonial Rule in Hong Kong, 1950-1963 (PDF). Hong Kong University Press. ISBN 9789622097926.
* Yeung, Y. M.; Wong, Timothy K. Y., eds. (2003). Fifty Years of Public Housing in Hong Kong: A Golden Jubilee Review and Appraisal. Hong Kong: The Chinese University Press.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hong Kong Housing Authority.

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Housing in Hong Kong

Organisations|

| Current|

* Housing Department
* Housing Authority
* Housing Authority Exhibition Centre
* Housing Society

|

Defunct|

* Urban Services Department

Types|

* Public housing
* List
* Private housing estates
* List

Scheme|

* Home Ownership Scheme
* My Home Purchase Plan
* List of Home Ownership Scheme Courts

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