Subdivided rent management | Report reveals that the rooftops of industrial buildings have also violated regulations to build subdivided houses for the elderly to live alone in a 50-foot cubicle room for 10 years

Social News

Written by: Wang Jieen

2021-04-01 18:23

Last update date: 2021-04-01 18:23

The government-appointed subdivided housing rent control research working group submitted its final report to the government on Wednesday (31st).

The report estimates that of the approximately 110,000 sub-apartments in Hong Kong, more than 4,000 are rooftop houses. As for the more detailed beds or lofts, there are also more than 400.

The team’s investigation for the subdivided houses also revealed various problems with the subdivided houses. For example, more than half of the subdivided houses did not have any repair or maintenance works, and some subdivided houses did not have windows. Although some subdivided houses have windows, 1.7% can not be opened.

Among the subdivided houses that have signed written leases, nearly half of them do not mention the lease term.

The investigation also revealed that there were elderly people who lived alone in the cubicles of the tenement house for 10 years, and their living area was less than 50 feet, that is, they did not even have half of a standard parking space.

The elder did not have a formal written tenancy agreement, and he could not make a stamp only by relying on an oral promise.

In addition to ground shops and industrial buildings that have been converted into sub-districts, some people even took the roof of the industrial building into sub-districts without letting it go. The safety and legitimacy are all doubtful.

The report submitted by the Research Working Group on Subdivided Rental Control estimates that there are about 110,000 subdivided houses in Hong Kong.

(Information Picture/Photo by Lu Yiming)

Hong Kong, Kowloon and the New Territories have at least 110,000 sub-divided houses

The report estimates that in 2020, there will be about 100,943 subdivided houses in Hong Kong, of which 226,000 people live. On average, each unit is divided into 3.38 subdivided houses.

Taking into account cubicles, lofts, space warehouses, beds and rooftop houses, there are an estimated 110,008 subdivided rooms in Hong Kong, of which more than 4,000 are estimated to be rooftop houses, and cubicle rooms also account for 3,415.

According to the research report, Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories have sub-divided housing. Among them, the Kowloon area has the largest number of sub-divided households, accounting for 60% of all sub-divided households in Hong Kong. The second is the New Territories, with 26,000 sub-divided households. It accounts for about 20% of the total.

The survey found that 92.7% of the sub-districts have kitchens, but 10% have to be combined with toilets, which is commonly known as "toilet kitchen sharing."

(Information Picture/Photo by Zhong Weide)

10% of the sub-district kitchen "kitchen and toilet sharing" has windows but cannot be opened

The study pointed out that although 99.3% of the sub-districts have toilets, nearly 2 of them have to share them; in addition, 92.7% of the sub-districts have kitchens, but 10% must be combined with toilets, and 17.3% are separated from toilets. , But it should be shared with other households.

In addition, even if 95.9% of the subdivided rooms have windows, 1.7% of them cannot be opened.

In addition, more than half of the sub-divided houses have not undergone any repairs or maintenance works, and 9.3% of households reported that the sub-divided houses had serious water seepage or leakage, and even 0.7% of them said that the leakage or power outage was serious.

The report estimates that there are about 160 bedspaces in Hong Kong.

(Profile picture)

Twenty percent of the leases are not stamped and printed, and the half of the leases do not mention the lease term

In terms of leases, although 85.2% of sub-divided tenants have signed a written lease, 23% of them do not have a stamp, so there is no protection in fact, and 6.3% of sub-divided tenants do not have a lease.

The report also mentioned that only about half of the tenants who had signed leases mentioned the lease term, and only about 20% specified which party was responsible for repairs and maintenance.

In addition, although about 60% of the lease term specified in the tenancy agreement is more than one year to two years, 2% are only 6 months or less.

Elderly living alone in cubicles for ten years, the platform was "one block and thirteen"

Research revealed that an old man lived alone in a tenement cubicle for 10 years. His unit was "sixed a share", and the area occupied was less than 50 feet, that is, less than half of a standard parking space.

In addition to no independent toilet and kitchen, he also does not have a formal written lease. The lease relies only on verbal promises, let alone printed.

In addition to a few outdoors, the research also found that there are more than ten households.

According to data, on the platform of a residential building, 13 households have been converted into residences with shared toilets.

A family of three lives in one of the units slightly larger than 50 feet, and has lived there for 7 years.

Even if there is a lease, it is not printed.

The report found that on the platform of a residential building, the first floor was turned into a residence for 13 households and shared toilets.

(Information Picture/Photographed by Li Zetong)

The roof of the ground shop was rebuilt, and the roof of the industrial building was also rebuilt.

In addition, the study also found that some people suspected of illegally renovating subdivided houses for rent.

Some ground-floor shops are "six", a family of three lives in a "small shop" of less than 100 feet for 6 years, and there are also singles who live in a space greater than 20 feet. The rent of the former is as high as RMB 5,100, accounting for One family earns more than 50%; the latter also failed to apply for public housing.

It is illegal to convert industrial units into residential use, but some people even reach the roof of the industrial building and they will not let it go. The monthly rent is as high as RMB 5,800.

There are even rural squatters that are subletted by "one sublet and two" and need to share toilets.

Subdivided rent management | Chairman Liang Yongxiang: It is not feasible to set the initial rent or infringe private property rights

Subdivided Housing Rent Management | Subdivided Housing Organization Advocates Six-year Priority Rental Right, Owners Says Should Set One-Year "Running-in Period"

Resident rent management | Tenants sigh that rent accounts for 80% of their income and the rent increase ceiling is too high: I don't know the residents are suffering

Sub-divided rent management | Group worries do not help She Qingyun: Not suitable for investment has decided to sell sub-divided houses

Subdivided rent management｜Rent increase indicators are often higher than the inflation rate. No initial rent is set or the landlord increases rent first

Subdivided Housing Rent Management | Survey reveals that 100,000 subdivided houses over 226,000 live in a median monthly rent of nearly 5,000

Subdivided rent management | The group's proposal to limit rent increases must refer to the 15% maximum rent index of the Evaluation Department

01News

Subdivided room