Average Waiting Time for Public Rental Housing (PRH)
As at end-March 2025, the average waiting time* for general applicants who were housed to PRH in the past 12 months has maintained at 5.3 years. Among which, the average waiting time for elderly one-person applicants has reduced by 0.1 years to 3.3 years as compared with last quarter.
In the first quarter of 2025, about 4 700 general applicants were housed to PRH, among which about 440 were allocated to elderly one-person applicants. In the same quarter, about 780 non-elderly one-person applicants under the Quota and Points System were housed to PRH. In the first quarter of 2025, some 2 300 general applicants were housed to new PRH flats. Among them, about 1 500 and 800 were housed to Hin Fat Estate in Tuen Mun and Pak Tin Estate in Shum Shui Po respectively. The remaining 2 400 general applicants were housed to refurbished flats, including those recovered from PRH tenants who purchased subsidised sale flats or voluntarily surrendered their units, as well as those recovered as a result of combating tenancy abuse.
The average waiting time has maintained at 5.3 years in the first quarter of 2025. It was mainly because around 60% of general applicants were housed to refurbished flats in the past 12 months, among which 80% were housed to PRH flats in Urban district or Extended Urban district. We notice that the average waiting time for general applicants housed to PRH flats in Urban or Extended Urban was generally longer than those housed to PRH flats in the New Territories by about two years. As for elderly one-person applicants, among those who were housed to PRH in the past 12 months, more than 40% were applicants for flats in the New Territories with a relatively shorter waiting time, the average waiting time for elderly one-person applicants has therefore decreased by 0.1 years to 3.3 years.
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 therefore decreased. As at end-March 2025, there were about 116 400 general applications for PRH, and about 86 300 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 is calculated as 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.
