BNO｜Investigation indicates that groups arriving in the UK and Hong Kong find it difficult to find a place to live, hoping that the British side will clarify the right to rent

Political situation

Written by: Wu Zhuoan

2021-04-26 23:17

The last update date: 2021-04-26 23:17

Many Hong Kong people choose to apply for a BNO visa to immigrate to the UK. The British Hong Kong Overseas Chinese Association, Kenny Chinese Social Service Center, HKARC and other organizations held an online press conference today (26th) to pay attention to Hong Kong people's living problems and conditions after they arrive in the UK.

The Hong Kong Overseas Chinese Association mentioned that according to the policy report in December last year, as many as 73% of those who first arrived in the UK and Hong Kong believed that "finding a house" was the biggest difficulty in living. The problem of renting a house made many planning or immigrant British Hong Kong people frustrated.

The group pointed out that according to the current guidelines, BNO visa holders should have at least two and a half or five years of rental rights. It is recommended that the British authorities clarify the guidelines on the right to rent for BNO visa holders.

Many Hong Kong people have immigrated to the UK with BNO visas.

(Gettyimage)

Seven out of three regard "finding a house" as the biggest difficulty in life

The British Hong Kong Overseas Chinese Association mentioned in its December policy report that 283 Hong Kong people who plan to move to the UK were interviewed by a questionnaire. 52% of them said they would rent a unit after they arrived, 13% chose to "buy cattle from the mountain", and 22% rented. As many as 73% of the first-time arrivals in Britain and Hong Kong consider "finding a house" as the biggest living difficulty when staying in hotels or youth hostel beds. The problem of renting a house makes many planning or immigrant British Hong Kong people frustrated.

They also pointed out that some new arrivals reported that they lacked credit reference when they did not have a job. Even if they were willing to pay more deposits than normal, they would also encounter difficulties in leasing the apartment; when signing the lease, the tenant It is usually necessary to provide proof of permanent address, but the leasing agent may not accept people who have arrived in the UK to use a hotel or Airbnb address for renting a unit.

At the same time, opening a bank account also requires a permanent address, and the problem is the same as signing a lease.

The group put forward a number of suggestions, including that the British authorities should clarify the guidelines on the tenancy rights of British overseas nationals visa holders, stipulate that the holders of British overseas nationals visa should have at least two and a half or five years of tenancy rights, and it is recommended to publish for landlords and real estate agents Detailed guidelines and seminars to increase their understanding of LOTR and or BNO.

The group also suggested that the authorities consider cooperating with housing associations, hotels, hostels and guesthouses to provide emergency temporary accommodation, based on the principle of user pays, to provide Hong Kong people with reliable short-term rental options, so that Hong Kong people can handle opening bank accounts first. And finding a long-term residence, etc.

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