The Landlord and Tenant (Consolidation) (Amendment) Bill 2021 was finally passed the third reading in the Legislative Council on Wednesday (20th), but it is not known whether it is good news or bad news for the tenants of subdivided housing.
On the bright side, starting from the end of January next year, the rent of sub-divided houses will increase by up to 10% every two years, and tenants will enjoy a total of four years of "2+2" tenancy protection.
But on the downside, the draft does not set initial rents, and tenants may suffer first without seeing the benefits.
The Secretary for Transport and Housing, Chen Fan, explained in the Legislative Council that in reality, the prices of subdivided housing can vary greatly due to various factors. There is no objective, fair and reasonable way to set the initial rent.
But in fact, the establishment of the initial rent depends on whether the government has sufficient data, so it is not fundamentally infeasible.
At the meeting on Wednesday, the DAB Ke Chuangsheng and Tian Beichen, the real political roundtable, unanimously refuted Chen Fan’s earlier claim that it is not common for landlords to increase rents in advance. The former said that many landlords increased rents before the law took effect, while the latter said that it was “uncommon”. The authorities also know that some landlords have increased their rents in advance, so they abstained with tears.
Legislative Council Member Tian Beichen pointed out that the rent control plan for the subdivided housing was "out of shape," and he could only abstain from voting "with tears".
(Photo by Zhang Haowei)
Member: Is it anxious to pass
In addition, with regard to the amendment proposed by Shi Liqian to include two exemptions for sub-lease renewal, Xie Weiquan asked why the government had not perfected the amendments and whether it would just rush to pass the draft in this term.
Xie Weiquan also abstained in the end, and the motion was passed with 37 votes in favor and 2 abstentions.
It is hard for the outside world to guess whether the government is eager to pass the draft as questioned by Tse Weiquan. However, both the government and the Legislative Council attach importance to legislative efficiency during this year's session. I believe it is affirmative.
The Chairman of the House Committee, Li Huiqiong, concluded on Wednesday that as many as 39 bills have been submitted to the Legislative Council this year, the most in the past two decades, and 33 have been passed.
Legislative work cannot just look at numbers
This is not only related to the withdrawal of the democrats from the Legislative Council and the reduction of disputes during the meeting, but also because of the changes in Hong Kong's political situation, the establishment is more cautious in performing their duties in the new situation.
But even so, we should remember that legislative work should not just look at figures, and it is not the best to pass more bills.
In the final analysis, legislative work must be based on the best interests of society, and in particular, the vulnerable grassroots must be protected fairly and justly.
The same is true for subdivided rent management, and the same is true for other policies.
After Shi Liqian’s amendment was rejected on Wednesday, he pointed out that many MPs "heard the government’s words" and criticized those who did not support the amendment "forgetting that they are the representatives of the people, and that those who live in sub-divided houses and caged homes are all voters." I forgot to suffer too long from living in sub-districted and caged homes."
Of course, adding inapplicability to the renewal clause may not be entirely beneficial to tenants, but regardless of whether the amendment is desirable, his above remarks are also worthy of caution. Under the so-called new political normal, members cannot just listen to the government. If you want to achieve good governance and good governance, both legislators and officials must consider the interests of the public.
Policy Address | Hong Kong rulers should promise to bid farewell to the "subdivided housing" guild members and accountable officials to be responsible for governance. The government should have lowered the ceiling of the "subsidiary housing" rent increase
