The Legislative Council will conduct the second reading of the Tenancy Control Ordinance next month. The government proposes to revise the maximum rent increase rate from 15% to 10%. However, it refuses to set a standard for the initial rent. A concern group released an investigation today (25th) and found that The latest median rent for subdivided houses has increased by 4.1% from the RMB 4,800 reported by the Rent Management Research Group last year, and the maximum rent per square foot is as high as RMB 91.7. Moreover, the smaller the unit interval, the more expensive the rent. It is estimated that if the initial rent is not established, The rent of more than 100 yuan per square foot is just around the corner. Some neighbourhoods reported that they had been increased from 4,400 yuan to 7,500 yuan after the lease was completed by the landlord. They were eventually forced to move out, urging the government to face the problem squarely.
The survey found that the median rent of subdivided housing increased compared with last year, and Wan Chai rose by 21%
Concerned about the Grassroots Housing Unit and the Future City Research Institute of The Chinese University of China, conducted a survey on unsuitable housing rents from early August to early September. 1,515 tenants were successfully interviewed through online questionnaires, home visits and telephone interviews, of which 85% lived in sub-apartments. , The rest are living in cubicles, industrial sub-districts, squatters, rooftops and other dwellings, located in Hong Kong, Kowloon and the New Territories.
The survey found that the median rent for subdivided housing in Hong Kong was $5,000, and the highest rent was in Wan Chai, with a median of $5,850, which was 4.1% and 21% higher than the $4,800 reported by the subdivided rent management research team last year. Reflecting that rents are still on the rise.
If the rent per square foot of a subdivided room is calculated by zone, the median rent per square foot of a subdivided room in Hong Kong is $43.3. Among them, the median rent per square foot of the central and western district is the highest, reaching the level of $57.
The study was also classified according to the degree of completeness of the subdivided housing facilities. It was found that the finer the area and the worse the spacing, the more expensive the rent per square foot. For example, the rent per square foot of an unsuitable residential unit without separate bedrooms, toilets and kitchens on Hong Kong Island reached a maximum of $91.7 per square foot. Compared with the rate of $40.7 per square foot of private residential units with an area of less than 40 square meters in July this year, it is 1.25 times higher than the average rent per square foot. There is no bedroom, kitchen and toilet in the same interval on Hong Kong Island. The average rent per square foot of a unit is as high as $56.9, which is also 39% higher than the rent per square foot of a private residential unit with an area of less than 40 square meters under the Rating and Valuation Department.
The survey also learned about the facilities of the interviewed units. It was found that 34.8% and 25% of the interviewees did not install door locks and water heaters in their sub-units, and 62.9% and 87.6% of the interviewed cubicle households did not install air-conditioners and hot water respectively. Furnace, and more than three-quarters of the subdivided households interviewed do not have a fire alarm system, fire hose reel, smoke prevention door, and compliance fire passage in the building of their living unit. If a fire occurs, it is worrying.
In addition, 15.2% and 25.8% of the sub-divided households and cubicle households surveyed said that they did not enter into a lease with the landlord. The number of tenants surveyed with a lease agreement was 9.5% higher, and the rent increase ranged from 300 yuan or less to more than 2,000 yuan. More than 61% of the surveyed tenants or cubicle tenants said that the landlord had overcharged utility bills. Case.
Landlords increase rents frantically on the grounds of discounting market prices
The old sister who lives with her son started renting a subdivided apartment 8 years ago. The most exaggerated rent increase was to rent a high-rise subdivided apartment unit in Kowloon City for 4,000 yuan in 2013. After two years, the rent was increased by 400 yuan. When the contract was completed two years later, the landlord actually said that "you are living in peace, the rent should be discounted to the market price level." He proposed to increase from 4,400 yuan to 7,500 yuan. Eventually, the two mothers and children moved out. Later, due to rent problems, they moved more and more. The farther away, the illegal rooftop unit that has moved to a 500-square-foot village house in Yuen Long has a monthly rent of $7,800, which can only be seen on foot.
Brother Qiang, a disabled person, and his wife rented an 80-foot subdivided house in Yau Tsim Mong, with a monthly rent of 4,800 yuan. He mainly relied on his wife to work in a beauty salon and earn more than 10,000 yuan a month to support his family. However, there has been no income for five months since the epidemic last year. He pointed out that the landlord's expenses on water, electricity and rent accounted for about 40% of his household income. He was worried that the future rent increase would only increase the burden. "How should life in Hong Kong be?" The head water bill is 40 yuan, that is, a total of 80 yuan is charged to them, questioning the owner’s overcharging. "It means that the water bill will be charged at $320 (equivalent to four months). I don’t want to open a laundry shop. Use too much water?''
Tenants of 70-year-old cubicle room worried about fire safety
Mr. Jian, in his 70s, rented a small room on the second floor of Changsha Wan Tang for 2,700 yuan. The tenants share the same toilet and kitchen. He is fortunate that the place where he lives is cleaner than other similar units, but The reporter came to inspect his apartment and found that the electrical and water pipes were exposed. The rooms were all partitioned by wooden boards. Not only was it easy to breed psyllids. If a short-circuit fire occurred, the ship could be set on fire at any time, triggering a small house fire. He himself was worried about the fire and hoped to rent the house. The regulations add rigid requirements for the installation of small fire extinguishers and other devices in each unit or room in sub-districts or cubicles.
The Joint Committee believes that the government should face up to the basic tenancy rights, including if there is no initial rent, it is recommended to freeze the rent amount of the latest lease payment period on the day of the legislation as the initial rent ceiling, and cover tenants who have not entered into a lease with the landlord, and renew the lease. The range shall not be higher than the consumer price index of the month, and a mechanism shall be established for semi-annual inspection; the Rating and Valuation Department shall set up a dedicated department to handle a large number of enquiries and rental correction cases in the early stage of legislation, proactively inspect and prosecute, and provide arbitration services , To solve the leasing problem between the landlord and the tenant. At the same time, the regulations should stipulate the responsibility of the landlord to maintain and repair the unit. If violations are found, prosecutions should be taken to deter them.
Annual rent increase and overcharge of utility bills over 10,000 yuan of sub-household households sigh: the landlord likes to charge as much as as many as more than 70% of sub-household households say that the ceiling for rent increase is too high, hope the government will control it within 5%. Living poorer, a family of four moved five times in 13 years: a hole in the wall received $500
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