Correspondence address: Application Section, Housing Department, Kowloon City Post Office, PO Box 89192
What are the qualifications for applying for public housing?
The Housing Authority (HA) operates a public housing application system to allocate public housing flats to eligible applicants in a fair and orderly manner.
Families applying for public housing must meet the following basic eligibility criteria:
Applicants must be 18 years of age or older.
The applicant and all family members must currently reside in Hong Kong and have the right to land in Hong Kong. Their stay in Hong Kong is not restricted by any conditions of stay (except those related to the limit of stay).
All married persons in the application form must apply together with their spouse (except those who are divorced, have applied for divorce in court, whose spouse has not been granted the right to land in Hong Kong or has passed away, and relevant proof must be provided).
From the date of completing the application form until the date of being allocated a public housing unit and signing a new tenancy agreement, the applicant and his/her family members do not own any domestic property in Hong Kong. Residential buildings include any residential buildings in Hong Kong, uncompleted private residential buildings, rooftop structures approved by the Building Authority, premises used for residential purposes and small house grants (including small house grants) granted by the Lands Department.
Family members of various subsidised home ownership schemes, such as but not limited to the Home Ownership Scheme/Private Sector Participation Scheme, Redevelopment Home Ownership Scheme, Rent or Buy Scheme, Tenants Purchase Scheme, Home Purchase Loan Scheme and Home Subsidy Loan Scheme, can submit their public housing application forms immediately after the relevant records are cancelled as long as they meet the eligibility requirements for public housing.
For those who are covered by the various subsidised home ownership schemes and are allowed to cancel the sale and purchase agreement for the relevant building after signing it and have not accepted the relevant subsidy, they can submit their public housing application form after completing the cancellation of the sale and purchase agreement as long as they meet the eligibility requirements for public housing application.
When allocating housing, at least half of the members in the application form must have lived in Hong Kong for seven years and all members must still be living in Hong Kong.
Public housing applicants with different needs can participate in various housing allocation schemes according to the corresponding eligibility criteria. If family members include elderly people, they can be given a certain degree of priority in waiting and housing allocation.
Non-elderly single applicantHow to check the progress of public housing allocation?
3. Call the Housing Authority hotline 2712 2712 and listen to the call yourself
To hear the applicant's current score: After selecting the language, press 1,1,1
4. Call the Housing Authority hotline 2712 2712 or obtain it by fax
To obtain the minimum score for being investigated and accepted for housing: After selecting the language, press 1, 1, 2, 2, 7
5. Television screen notice of the Housing Department's Application Section
6. Check the headlines of daily newspapers, AM730 and the Standard on the 15th of each month (if the 15th of the month is a non-publishing day for these newspapers, the relevant information will be published later)
General family applicationHow to check the progress of public housing allocation?
The applicant's relationship with other family members must be a couple, parent, child, grandparent, grandchild or single sibling. Any family member under the age of 18 must apply with a parent or legal guardian. If an applicant is applying together with his/her children/grandchildren, he/she can only apply together with one married child/grandchild and the core family of that child/grandchild.
3. Call the Housing Authority hotline 2712 2712 and listen to the call yourself
Listen to the highest survey number in each district: After selecting the language, press 1,1,2,1;
Listen to the highest number of rooms currently accepted in each area: After selecting the language, press 1,1,2,2,1
4. Call the Housing Authority hotline 2712 2712 or obtain it by fax
To obtain the highest survey and room allocation number for each area: After selecting the language, press 1,1,2,2,7
5. Television screen notice of the Housing Department's Application Section
6. Check the headlines of daily newspapers, AM730 and the Standard on the 15th of each month (if the 15th of the month is a non-publishing day for these newspapers, the relevant information will be published later)
Applicants for this scheme must not only meet the basic eligibility criteria for public housing applications, but must also be 58 years of age or above, and 60 years of age or above when a flat is allocated.
Eligible applications under this scheme will usually be processed earlier than general household applications.
Applicants can choose any area as the area for future public housing allocation.
Two or more elderly persons who agree to live in one unit can apply for public housing under this scheme, but they must also meet the basic eligibility criteria for applying for public housing.
Non-relative members must also sign or stamp the application form.
All persons on the application form must be aged 58 or above, and all persons must be aged 60 or above when a flat is allocated.
Eligible applications under this scheme will usually be processed earlier than general household applications.
Applicants can choose any area as the area for future public housing allocation.
Applicants who participate in this program must meet the basic eligibility criteria for public housing applications.
Applicants can choose to live in one unit with their parents who are 60 years old or above or their dependent elderly relatives, or live in two nearby units separately.
For those who choose to have all family members live in the same unit, they can choose any area as the area for future public housing allocation. Eligible applications under this program will be processed six months earlier than general household applications.
The applicants must meet the basic eligibility criteria for public housing applications and the eligibility criteria for general household applications.
All PRH households with a newborn born on or after October 25, 2023 and aged one year or below are eligible for this scheme (i.e. applicants must include the newborn in their PRH application on or before the day on which the eligible newborn turns one year old).
Specifically, the following public housing applications will have their waiting time reduced by one year:
(a) new PRH households with a newborn baby aged one year or below who was born on or after October 25, 2023; and
(b) Existing PRH households that include in their applications a newborn baby who is one year old or below and was born on or after 25 October 2023.
If the application includes more than one newborn baby who is eligible for the scheme (e.g. twins), the waiting time will still only be reduced by one year. Applicants who participate in the Family Priority Flat Allocation Scheme and are also eligible for this scheme will only have their waiting time shortened by a total of one year.
The eligibility criteria listed above are set out in the Public Rental Housing Application Notes (HD274) distributed to applicants together with the application form (HD300C). The application form and application notes can be obtained through the following methods:
By post (mailing address: Housing Department Application Section, PO Box 89192, Kowloon City Post Office), applicants should enclose a stamp with sufficient postage and a clearly addressed return envelope.
