Section B: Estate Management and Rent Policy Chapter 4: Housing Subsidy Policy Since 1 April 1987, the Housing Authority has been implementing the Housing Subsidy Policy (HSP) with the objective of reducing housing subsidy to public housing tenants who are no longer in need of it. Under the HSP, households who have been living in public rental housing (PRH) for ten years or more are required to declare household income biennially. This measure has been extended to households in interim housing (IH) with effect from 26 June 1997.  Residents who have been living in public housing (including IH and PRH) for ten years or more counting from the aforesaid date are required to declare their household income at a biennial cycle under HSP.  Those who choose not to declare their household income are required to pay double net rent/licence fee plus rates while those with a household income exceeding the corresponding Subsidy Income Limits (SILs) to pay 1.5 times or double net rent/licence fee plus rates as appropriate. The SILs are subject to annual review. Those effective from 1 April 2009 are as follows -       Household Size Subsidy Income Limits (per month)   Households with income in between the following ranges are required to pay 1.5 times net rent/licence fee plus rates Households with income exceeding the following limits are required to pay double net rent/licence fee plus rates 1 person $14,801 - $22,200 $22,200 2 persons $23,201- $34,800 $34,800 3 persons $25,801 - $38,700 $38,700 4 persons $31,601- $47,400 $47,400 5 persons $36,801- $55,200 $55,200 6 persons $43,401- $65,100 $65,100 7 persons $46,801- $70,200 $70,200 8 persons $49,601- $74,400 $74,400 9 persons $55,001- $82,500 $82,500 10 persons or more $57,401- $86,100 $86,100       However, households exempted from the application of HSP are :(i) whose members are all aged 60 or above; or (ii) with all members receiving Comprehensive Social Security Assistance; or (iii) who are on shared tenancies Households who are paying double or 1.5 times net rent/licence fee plus rates may, as appropriate, apply for paying 1.5 times net rent/licence fee plus rates or normal rent/licence fee if their household income falls below the corresponding SILs for three consecutive months. If the drop in household income is of permanent nature due to deletion/death of income-earning members, or because of addition of household members, the household income no longer exceed the prescribed limit, households paying additional rent/licence fee may apply for immediate payment of rent/licence fee at lower level. Furthermore, with effect from 23 January 2001, public housing households are subject to the application of the HSP irrespective of the length of their residence in public housing if their applications under various tenancy management policies have been approved after passing the comprehensive means test and satisfying the respective criteria and they are required to pay normal or 1.5 times net rent/licence fee plus rates. The rent/licence fee payment level of their PRH flats will be reviewed biennially. They will be required to declare their household income one year before the review time for the assessment of their rent/licence fee payment level in the coming year.

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