HONG KONG (AP) – Jimmy Au’s world shrinks to about the size of a parking space whenever she gets home.
Her cramped Hong Kong home is one of four units carved out of what was once a single apartment. Most of the space is occupied by the bunk bed she shares with her husband and son, and their sleep is often disrupted by neighbours returning late or heading out early.
Au’s son often gets bruises bumping into things. Privacy is limited, with only a curtain separating the bathroom from the kitchen.
But what troubles Au most about her home is that she might lose it. Hong Kong is planning to crack down on what it calls inadequate housing in subdivided apartments, mandating a minimum size and other baseline standards for homes like Au’s. A public consultation period ended on Monday, and Hong Kong is aiming to pass the rules into law this year.
The proposed rules leave many low-income residents like Au uncertain about their future in one of the world’s most expensive housing markets.
Au said her family pays about USD460 a month in rent, about half of the income her husband makes from irregular renovation jobs.
“I’m afraid the rent will get so high we can’t afford it,” Au said, sitting on the bed’s lower bunk, surrounded by clothes, a fan and plastic storage drawers.
Housing is a sensitive issue in Hong Kong. Some 7.5 million people live in a small territory that’s mostly made up of steep slopes. Just seven per cent, or 80 square kilometres, of the city’s total land is residential. The average price of an apartment of less than 40 square metres last December ranged from about USD13,800 to USD16,800 per square metre, depending on the district.
Some 220,000 people rely on subdivided units, including migrants, workers, students and young professionals.
Most subdivided homes are not far from the standards, the authorities said, but an estimated 33,000 units would need major renovations to meet them.
The proposed rules would mandate a minimum size of at least eight square metres, a bar Hong Kong says it meant to leave room for low-priced housing.
Every unit will also need to have a window, a toilet exclusively for the occupants’ use, and a door to separate the toilet from other parts of the home, among other criteria.
Landlords will have a grace period to renovate. After that, violations could lead to up to three years’ imprisonment and a maximum fine of about USD38,500.
Security guard Fafa Ching has lived in multiple subdivided flats for over a decade. Her current unit costs about USD490 per month and lacks even a bathroom sink, forcing her to collect water from the showerhead with a basin to wash her face. Her home will need renovation to meet proposed requirements for fire safety and separate electricity and water metres.
Ching worries that upgraded homes will be too expensive for her. Authorities have said if necessary, it will offer assistance such as helping affected tenants to find other private accommodation or directly providing temporary shelter. A top official told the city’s public broadcaster that transitional housing apartments are ready and assured that large-scale enforcement will happen only when proper resettlement arrangements are available.
A professor at the City University of Hong Kong’s social and behavioural sciences department Chan Siu-ming welcomed steps being taken to set minimum standards, but said its resettlement plans are inadequate.
Chan said the impact could be wider than officials expect, and the city’s supply of public and transitional housing may not meet needs. Low-income residents may also need help shouldering the cost of moving house, he said. As of last September, the average waiting time for a public flat is five and a half years, but it can take even longer than that. Ching said she’s waited for eight years.
Chan added that some single people may be forced into even smaller dormitory-like “bed spaces”, which are not covered by the proposed rules. Bed spaces are widely considered to be Hong Kong’s worst form of housing – partitioned areas in which residents get barely enough space to fit a single bed and some belongings.
Deputy director of the Society for Community Organization Sze Lai-shan said some people have already been asked to move out of subdivided homes as landlords anticipate the policy.
She suggested to start registering substandard flats before the legislation comes into force to assess the residents’ needs and consider expanding the eligibility for transitional housing.
She also hoped the policy would eventually cover those living in tiny bed spaces.
“It’s difficult to explain to people that Hong Kong has two sets of housing standards,” she said.
