‘Better than expected’: 73,800 subdivided flats apply for 3-year grace period

Landlords who applied between March and August qualified for a waiver of HK$3,000 in recognition fees per subdivided flat until February 2029

More than 73,000 subdivided flats in Hong Kong have applied for a three-year grace period to meet the government’s minimum standards, a figure the housing chief has described as “better than expected”.

Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho Wing-yin said on Saturday that authorities received around 73,800 applications during the “early bird” registration phase under the Basic Housing Unit Ordinance, which closed on August 31.

The tally represented nearly 70 per cent of the city’s estimated 110,000 subdivided flats, with 42 already certified as compliant, Ho told a radio programme.

“The progress is better than I expected,” she said. “We expect that as we gradually enter the three-year grace period, as people become familiar with the certification process and find suitable renovation companies and professionals to handle it, the certification numbers will rise.”