Average Waiting Time for Public Rental Housing (PRH)
As at end-June 2025, the average waiting time* for general applicants who were housed to PRH in the past 12 months has increased slightly by 0.1 years to 5.4 years. Among which, the average waiting time for elderly one-person applicants has increased by 0.2 years to 3.5 years as compared with last quarter.
In the second quarter of 2025, about 3 000 general applicants were housed to PRH (including about 90 and 20 were housed to new PRH flats in Yip Wong Estate in Tuen Mun and Pak Tin Estate in Shum Shui Po respectively; and the remaining about 2 900 were housed to refurbished flats), among which about 410 were allocated to elderly one-person applicants. In the same quarter, about 360 non-elderly one-person applicants under the Quota and Points System were housed to PRH.
The average waiting time increased in the second quarter of 2025, it was mainly because more than 95% of general applicants were housed to refurbished flats in that quarter. As most of these flats were located in Urban district and Extended Urban district, so the waiting time of PRH applicants housed was relatively longer. The situation is largely similar for the elderly one-person applicants.
Following the gradual completion of new public housing projects and the Housing Department’s enhanced effectiveness in combating tenancy abuse, coupled with intakes of Home Ownership Scheme projects and Green Form Subsidised Home Ownership Scheme projects, a number of PRH tenants vacated their PRH flats as a result of the purchase of subsidised sale flats, which expedited the turnover of PRH flats, the number of PRH general applicants has further decreased. As at end-June 2025, there were about 115 700 general applications for PRH, and about 86 100 non-elderly one-person applications under the Quota and Points System. The number of general applications and non-elderly one-person applications reduced significantly by 26% and 40% as compared with the highest level of 156 400 cases (as at end-September 2020) and 143 700 cases (as at end-December 2015) respectively.
*The average waiting time refers to the average of the waiting time of those general applicants (i.e. family applicants and elderly one-person applicants) who were housed to PRH in the past 12 months. It is not applicable to non-elderly one-person applicants under the Quota and Points System. Waiting time refers to the time taken between registration for PRH and first flat offer, excluding any frozen period during the application period (e.g. when the applicant has not yet fulfilled the residence requirement; the applicant has requested to put his/her application on hold pending arrival of family members for family reunion; the applicant is imprisoned, etc). If applicants take into account their waiting time under the Quota and Points System or their frozen period, they may perceive a longer waiting time than the average waiting time as announced by the Hong Kong Housing Authority.
Composite Waiting Time for Subsidised Rental Housing
For the index of “Composite Waiting Time for Subsidised Rental Housing” announced by the Chief Executive in the 2022 Policy Address, please refer to the relevant webpage on the Housing Bureau’s website.
