About 11,000 subdivided units have been registered under a grace period system that will give landlords three years to ensure their properties are up to code. new government requirements for the city’s notorious housing.
Victor Tai, the undersecretary for housing, said Tuesday at a briefing with selected media that as of Tuesday, about 3,000 apartments — a total of 11,000 separate units — had been registered, NowTV reported.
Under the Basic Housing Units Ordinance, which took effect in March, detached units are required to meet living standards set by the government. These include a floor area of at least 86 square meters, a ceiling height of 2.3 meters, as well as a window and an individual toilet.
Units that meet these requirements will be known as “basic housing units”.
Between now and February 2027, the government is allowing landlords to apply for a three-year grace period to give them time to bring their detached units up to standard.
Operators whose subdivisions already meet the requirements have been able to apply for recognition as basic residential units since March 1. Tai said that so far four applications have been made.
Renovations
The Housing Bureau said it had converted two detached units in Kowloon City into examples of basic housing units to guide operators of detached units on how to improve their housing.
Tai said the fee to renovate a substandard shoebox unit to meet the requirements ranges from HK$25,000 to HK$50,000, while the cost to renovate an entire apartment that includes several subdivided units is between HK$140,000 and HK$160,000, according to Buraue.
He said that for a three-unit model apartment, the work involved removing the toilet of one of the units to make room for another unit and then reinstalling a new toilet.
In addition, toilet exhaust fans and drain pipes to the outside were installed.
When asked by local media whether operators of detached units could pass on such costs to tenants, thereby increasing their rent, Tai said it would be up to the landlords.
The official said that as with running any business, there are costs involved in operating the detached units, but he believed the owners could recoup those costs within a few months of converting the homes into basic residential units.
Operators of detached units are required to employ a registered surveyor or architect to certify that the dwellings meet government requirements.
Earlier in March, the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors estimated that operators would need to spend at least HK$15,000 to own a flat with up to four certified subdivisions.
