Number of Applications and Average Waiting Time for Public Rental Housing
The Housing Authority’s objective is to provide public rental housing (PRH) to low-income families who cannot afford private rental accommodation, with the target of providing the first flat offer to general applicants (i.e. family and elderly one-person applicants) at around three years on average. The average waiting time* target of around three years is not applicable to non-elderly one-person applicants under the Quota and Points System.
As at end-March 2023, the average waiting time for general applicants who were housed to PRH in the past 12 months was 5.3 years. Among them, the average waiting time for elderly one-person applicants was 3.9 years. In the first quarter of 2023, about 2 000 general applicants were housed to PRH, about 650 of which were elderly one-person applicants. On the other hand, about 290 non-elderly one-person applicants under the Quota and Points System were housed to PRH in the same quarter.
The average waiting time for general applicants has slightly reduced by 0.2 year over the last quarter (i.e. end-December 2022), while that for elderly one-person applicants has remained unchanged. The average waiting time in the first quarter of 2023 has recorded an improvement, which is mainly due to the availability of a substantial number of flats for allocation in the past few quarters. After absorbing the PRH demand of general applicants who have waited for a relatively longer time, the waiting time of general applicants who were housed in the first quarter of 2023 was comparatively shorter. As a result, the overall average waiting time has been slightly shortened.**
As at end-March 2023, there were about 133 200 general applications for PRH, and about 97 100 non-elderly one-person applications under the Quota and Points System.
* Waiting time basically 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).
** The AWT in each quarter is affected by a number of factors, including the number of PRH flats available for allocation, the number of PRH applicants, the applicants’ district choice and whether the supply of new and recovered PRH flats matches with the applicants’ district choice, etc. The AWT in each quarter may rise or drop from the last quarter depending on these factors.
Waiting time distribution of general applicants housed to public rental housing
In view of the public's concern about the waiting time of general applicants for PRH, the Housing Department conducts a special analysis on the housing situation of general applicants for PRH every year, including the waiting time distribution of general applicants housed to PRH in the past year. Please click the link below for the waiting time distribution of general applicants housed to PRH in the most recent analysis:
The above information only shows the waiting time distribution of general applicants housed to PRH between July 2021 and June 2022. Past trends are not indicative of the future. The information only serves as a general reference and should not be used as the basis for projecting the waiting time of individual applicants.
For the new 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.
