300 households displaced as inferior subdivided units are soon to be phased out
發佈日期: 2026-03-19 23:12
TVB News
The Basic Housing Units Ordinance, that is designed to deal with the problems associated with subdivided flats, takes effect this month.
A group of subdivided unit residents were evicted from a flat after a new owner took over.
Some of them were left with no choice, but to move to another substandard home.
As of mid-March, the Society for Community Organization, or SOCO reports some 300 cases of tenants being forced out.
Samantha Li talked with some of the affected residents.
Returning from work, Mr. Cheng squeezes into his tiny cubicle.
This is his sixth relocation -- a forced move after his previous unit was taken over by a new owner.
He and ten other tenants got a short notice from the sublessor, also known as the principal tenant, that they had to move out within days.
They were given a new place also managed by the same sublessor, with the same monthly rent of 3,200 dollars, but it is even more cramped than before.
The tenant said, "look at this gap between the bed and the wall. My phone was stolen at the last place like this. There is no security."
As you can see here, the flat is carved into 13 units. Despite their dilapidated conditions, these units remain in high demand.
"Time is money. I wake up at 5:45 every morning. I will not consider places like Yuen Long as the commute time is too long."
The Housing Bureau has reserved some 4,000 of the city's 21,000 transitional housing units for subdivided-unit tenants affected by the new Ordinance.
However, units located in urban and extended urban areas account for only about 35 percent of the total supply.
The Society for Community Organization (SOCO) reported some 300 cases of tenants being evicted.
There is a trend of landlords choosing to cease operations rather than investing to convert their properties into basic housing units.
With no basic housing units on the market yet, grassroots tenants are forced to move between various substandard accommodations.
Sze Lai-shan, deputy director of SOCO said that many affected residents were helpless as it was hard for them to find better options with affordable rent in the market.
She also noted some elderly people with limited mobility may need buildings with elevators, but those units are usually too expensive for them.
She urges the government to contact the landlords, to prevent enforced evictions at short notice.
