Bid to turn 14 subsidised sale flats into subdivided homes raises abuse concerns
Home Ownership Scheme flats are deemed a form of social welfare and should not be used for profiteering, lawmaker says
The owners of 14 subsidised sale flats have applied for a grace period to comply with Hong Kong’s new regulatory regime for subdivided homes, the housing minister has revealed, raising concerns that public resources were being abused.
The cases were disclosed on Monday at a Legislative Council housing panel meeting when lawmaker Mark Chong Ho-fung asked Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho Wing-yin about the use of subsidised sale flats as subdivided units for renting.
Chong said flats sold under the government-subsidised Home Ownership Scheme were deemed a form of social welfare and should not be used for profiteering.
Ho said that it was against the law for an owner to lease a subsidised sale flat without having paid the premium.
