Owners of more than 73,000 subdivided flats in Hong Kong have applied for a three-year grace period to comply with new government housing standards, according to Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho Wing-yin. The applications, submitted during an early registration phase that ended on August 31, cover nearly 70 percent of the city’s estimated 110,000 subdivided units.

Ho described the response as “better than expected,” noting that 42 flats have already been certified as meeting the minimum requirements under the Basic Housing Units Ordinance. She anticipates certification numbers will increase as the grace period progresses and landlords become more familiar with the process, including finding appropriate renovation companies and professionals.

The grace period will begin in March 2025. Ho encouraged landlords who have not yet registered to do so before the deadline, emphasizing the importance of registration regardless of whether they plan to continue leasing their units or seek to bring them into compliance. Starting from next March, only subdivided flats certified as "basic housing units" will be legally rentable, except those covered by the grace period.

The city’s first comprehensive five-year housing plan aims to eliminate substandard subdivided flats by 2030. It seeks to expand housing supply and reduce public housing waiting times. Landlords applying between March and August benefited from a waiver of the HK$3,000 recognition fee per subdivided flat until February 2029. A secondary six-month registration phase offering reduced fee discounts is currently underway, concluding the overall one-year application period.

Separately, Ho provided updates on the government’s buy-back scheme for Wang Fuk Court, a subsidized housing estate severely affected by a fire last November. The HK$7.8 billion plan aims to acquire flats in the eight-block estate, allowing owners to use compensation to buy private-market flats or participate in a “flat-for-flat” scheme to purchase new subsidized housing.

Ho reported that 90.6 percent of Wang Fuk Court owners had accepted the buy-back offer by signing letters of agreement. The first group of around 100 homeowners recently selected their replacement flats. A dedicated team is assisting roughly 30 households daily, many of whom are elderly and require additional time to consult with family members before making decisions.

Public housing estates with shorter completion timelines, such as those in Kowloon Bay and Fanling, have attracted significant interest from residents eager to relocate promptly. The remaining 10 percent of owners who have yet to finalize sales agreements have until October 15 to do so. Ho warned that those who do not sign contracts will be considered as refusing to sell. Their cases, along with those of 13 households previously declining the buy-back offer, will be dealt with separately. She indicated that legislative measures might be explored to address unresolved cases.