They prohibit subdividing apartments of less than 8 m2 (but ‘coffin houses’ continue)

Chief Executive John Lee announced this today in a programmatic speech. According to public data, there are more than 100 thousand homes in this category, which will be progressively dismantled. But the regulations do not include beds where thousands of people live due to Hong Kong’s housing crisis.

Hong Kong (/Agencies) – The chief executive of Hong Kong, John Lee, announced that subdivided apartments with a surface area of ​​less than eight square meters will be progressively eliminated. However, the “coffin houses”, regulated and legalized thirty years ago, will not be subject to the new regulations. In his third government policy speech, Lee said mini-apartments will be defined as “basic housing units” and must include windows and a private bathroom.

Official data shows that in 2021 Hong Kong had 108,200 subdivided apartments. According to the NGO Society for Community Organization, around 250,000 people live in these small spaces due to high housing prices. The construction of new dividing walls often requires the modification of drains, giving rise to situations that often compromise the hygiene and safety of the entire building.

John Lee had already spoken about his intention to establish minimum standards for housing. Today he repeated again that “the units currently divided vary considerably in terms of fire safety, ventilation, floor space, availability of kitchen and individual bathrooms and whether they are separated, so it is necessary to establish minimum standards to eliminate unsuitable units.” The new rules will also take into account “actual demand,” Lee added.

However, “coffin houses”, also known as “cage houses” – tiny spaces that usually only fit one bed – will not be included in the new legislation and will continue to be classified as apartments. Indeed, many spaces have been converted to accommodate more people, assigning each one a sleeping place. Current rules, which were established in 1994, require units with more than 12 beds to have a special licence, but most owners get around this by registering 11 beds. A source from the Office of Internal and Juvenile Affairs told Hong Kong Free Press that the government could review the requirements for granting the license.

Various investigations have shown that people living in “coffin houses” – which can cost up to $300 a month – are mainly retirees, the working poor, low-income families and drug addicts. Indeed, in Hong Kong there are more than seven million inhabitants in an area of ​​1,106 square kilometers and the average salary is around $1,200 per month.

For subdivided apartments, homeowners will have a period of time to conform to the new standards if they register their properties, while units “that do not comply” with the regulations could face criminal liability, Lee said. The authorities will then reallocate the homes to those who have not yet applied for public housing but would be entitled to it, “taking into account the supply of ‘basic housing units’ on the market,” explained Hong Kong’s chief executive.