published_or_final_version / Public Administration / Master / Master of Public Administration

published_or_final_version / Real Estate and Construction / Master / Master of Science in Real Estate and Construction

published_or_final_version / Politics and Public Administration / Master / Master of Public Administration

Prior to 1985, individuals were generally not allowed to apply for public rental housing (PRH) on their own. In 1985, in order to response to the demand from the elderly and those affected by redevelopment or living in temporary housing areas, the restriction was released. The release of restriction attracts many one-person households to apply PRH. In 1989/90, applicants of age 18 to 24 occupied 4% of the newly registered Waiting List (WL) One-person Applications. But in 2004/05, the age group 18 to 24 applicants occupy 21% of the newly registered applications (Hong Kong Housing Authority, Housing Subsidised Committee SHC 58/2005, p.1 of Annex B). The Hong Kong Housing Authority found that the sharp increase number of Non-elderly One-person Applicants has adversely impacted to the 3 years rehousing performance pledge. It started to address the housing priority problem through the introduction of Quota and Points System (QPS) in September 2005. The Points System is based on two factors to assign points – the age of the applicant and whether the applicant is a PRH tenant or not. The priority of Non-elderly One-person WL applicants will be determined according to the points received. The more points the Applicant scores, the top priority and the earlier the Applicant will be offered a flat, subject to the fulfillment of all the other PRH eligibility criteria. Housing Authority sets an annual quota for Non-elderly One-person Applicants. This study aims at reviewing and evaluating the equitable issue of QPS. Equity is to ensure fairness of treatment between households. QPS is an important policy to rationalize housing priority to the Non-elderly One-person Applicants under scarce public housing resources. This study approaches the equity issue from both a theoretical analysis and a qualitative measurement by questionnaire survey. Based on various literature reviews, the concept of justice, equity, equality and housing needs are elaborated in theoretical analysis. Also, the experience of public housing application in some developed countries is described. The Points System of developed countries and Fordham’s suitability test are taken into account on setting of questionnaire. Most of the findings under theoretical analysis are agreed with the findings from the questionnaire survey. This study focuses on analysis in equity issue of QPS and to suggest recommendations to improve the equity among applicants. / published_or_final_version / Housing Management / Master / Master of Housing Management

Similar to many other countries, in Hong Kong, housing has long been a very difficult issue to manage. It is also one of the pressing social issues that the government has to face with urgently and tactfully. Given by the exorbitant high property prices and landlords increase their properties rent in recent years, the current problem in Hong Kong is a great deal number of people, especially the young generation, cannot afford to buy home or even rent apartment in private property market. Thinking despairingly that home-owning is an unrealistic dream, most people applied for Public Rental Housing as their last resort to be housed. This sort of thinking is somewhat shown by the growing number of applicants in Waiting List for public rental housing flats. The growing number of applicants, by and large, indicating the demand of subsidized housing has never been subsided and also meant applicants need to wait much longer for allocation. Unfortunately, supply of flats has persistently fallen short of demand. There has been no adequate increase in subsidized flats’ supply in the past few years. The number of completed flats in 2012 is really not comparable with the number of applicants in the queue for public housing. Even, by adding the 15,000 new units each year as committed by the chief executive Mr. CY LEUNG, the public housing stock still cannot effectively satisfy the overwhelming demand of public rental housing. In view of the lack of supply of new flats, there has been demanded that the Government should act creatively to provide more flats to ensure quick allocation. Under this circumstance, the better utilization of existing PRH stock is becoming more essential and important. It is not hard to find from various sources that there are already many studies in evaluating the efficacy of the so called “well-off tenants policies”, such as the Housing Subsidy Policy, while little studies touch on the issue of under-occupation situation of public flats –an rather unfair phenomenon that the average living density of a household is more than allowed. Under-occupation policy is the policy implemented by the Housing Authority for maximizing the rational utilization of public housing resources so that larger subsidized flats can be recovered and reallocated to those in genuine needs and reducing unnecessary wastage of precious housing resources. In view of this, the dissertation is going to evaluate the effectiveness of the policy on under-occupation implemented by Housing Authority. In order to response the criticism on the equity and fairness towards the under-occupation issue, the dissertation is also written with an aim to evaluate these aspects and explores with objective assessment by adopting qualitative research methods, such as surveys and questionnaires. Questionnaires will be dispatched to residents in various housing estates to collect necessary information and opinions for analysis the equity and effectiveness of the policy. Hypothetical analysis and literature reviews will also be conducted through comparing different related official publications and journals. This dissertation is going to evaluate, based on empirical study and literature review, the implication and effectiveness of the policy adopted by Housing Authority to tackle on the problem of under-occupation of public rental housing flats and, with great ambition, make viable suggestions for the authority to cogitate and refine the performance of the policy. / published_or_final_version / Housing Management / Master / Master of Housing Management

published_or_final_version / Housing Management / Master / Master of Housing Management

published_or_final_version / Urban Planning / Master / Master of Science in Urban Planning

published_or_final_version / Real Estate and Construction / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Housing Management / Master / Master of Housing Management

published_or_final_version / Housing Management / Master / Master of Housing Management