Eligibility | Hong Kong Housing Authority and Housing Department

Eligibility

The Subsidised Housing Committee of the Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA) endorsed on 26 April 2023 the revised eligibility for purchase of subsidised sale flats (SSF) that public rental housing (PRH) tenants or Rental Estate tenants of the Hong Kong Housing Society (HKHS) applying to purchase SSFs as Green Form (GF) applicants would be subject to the same restrictions on ownership of domestic property in Hong Kong applicable to White Form (WF) applicants.

Under the revised eligibility criteria, PRH tenants and Rental Estate tenants of HKHS who apply to purchase SSF as GF applicants should not have owned domestic properties in Hong Kong during the period from 24 months preceding the closing date for submitting the application up to the time of purchase. In addition, Fixed-Term licensees of the HA will no longer be eligible for purchasing SSFs as GF applicants. If the relevant Fixed-Term licensees fulfil the relevant eligibility, they can apply to purchase SSFs as WF applicants.

Definition of Green Form Applicants

Subject to detailed eligibility criteria on age, family composition, property ownership restriction, etc. to be announced by the HA prior to the launch of each sale exercise, the following categories of persons are eligible for Green Form status in buying Home Ownership Scheme flats -

(a)

Households of Public Rental Housing (PRH) units under the HA (tenants under conditional tenancies or monthly licensees of HA Transitional Rental Housing units are not allowed to submit application);

(b)

Households of Group A Rental Estates (Rental Estates) or Elderly Persons Flats under the HKHS (households of Group B Rental Estates or monthly licensees of HKHS Transitional Rental Housing units are not allowed to submit application);

(c)

Persons falling into one of the following categories who are holders of valid "Green Form Certificates - Applicable to Sale of Home Ownership Scheme Flat Only" issued by the Housing Department (HD)/ Urban Renewal Authority -

(i) PRH applicants who have passed the detailed vetting and whose eligibility for allocation of PRH has been established;

(ii) Persons under Civil Service Public Housing Quota whose eligibility has been established (Note: The breach of any conditions of application as stipulated in the circular memorandum for Civil Service Public Housing Quota issued by Civil Service Bureau by any person listed in the application form may result in the cancellation of the application. In that case, any application fee paid will not be refunded. Once the applicants have successfully purchased a flat under this sale exercise through signing an ASP of a HOS flat/ recovered TPS flat under this sale exercise, any remaining GFC(s) and/ or Certificate of Eligibility to Purchase issued by the HD will be cancelled.);

(iii) Clearees affected in clearance exercises initiated by the Government and victims of natural disasters whose PRH eligibility has been established;

(iv) Clearees affected in urban renewal projects whose PRH eligibility has been established;

(v) PRH residents whose eligibility for allocation of PRH flat has been established due to divorce/ splitting; and

(vi) Former PRH tenants holding a Letter of Assurance (LA) issued by the HD whose eligibility for allocation of the PRH flat has been established; and

(d)

Recipients of the Rent Allowance for the Elderly Scheme (RAES) administered by the HA, provided that they or any member of the family have not breached any clause of their Rent Allowance Agreement.

Definition of White Form Applicants

Subject to detailed eligibility criteria on age, family composition, residence rule, income and asset limits, property ownership restriction, etc. to be announced by the HA prior to the launch of each sale exercise, the following groups should be eligible for applying on WF status:

(a)

Households living in private housing;

(b)

Family member(s) of households living in PRH units under the HA or Rental Estates under the HKHS, or any subsidised housing scheme units; and

(c)

On the closing date of application for this Scheme, flat owners and all their authorised family member(s) under the HA’s Tenants Purchase Scheme (TPS) for less than 10 years (from the date of Assignment of his/her TPS flat with the HA) can apply for the purchase of a flat under the current sale exercise, with no restriction on income and net asset limits. However, they must comply with the “restrictions on domestic property ownership” and subject to the following conditions :

(i) Flat owners and all authorised family member(s) under the TPS flats must apply as a whole. The applicant can be the owner/ joint-owner/ family member of the relevant TPS flat.

(ii) The purchase of a flat under the current sale exercise is conditional upon the owner(s) being able to complete the formalities for execution of the deed of assignment of the TPS flat currently owned and occupied within three months from the date of signing the ASP for the purchase of a HOS flat, or within the one-off extension of three months as may be granted by the HA before attending the formalities for the completion of the sale and purchase and paying the balance of the purchase price of the HOS flat purchased. In case the formalities for execution of the deed of assignment of the TPS flat could not be completed after a lapse of three months or within such extended period as granted by the HA, the respective ASP shall be null and void and the deposit paid for purchasing the HOS flat will be refunded without interest after deduction of administrative and legal charges by the HA. The HA may re-sell the HOS flat to other applicants. Please note: the applicant and his/ her family member(s) shall be responsible for any expenses incurred from the sale of the TPS flat. They shall arrange accommodation on their own during the period from the completion of the sale of the TPS flat that they are occupying to the intake of the HOS flat purchased by them. The HA and the HD shall not be held responsible for any expenses or loss so incurred.

(iii) Even if the applicant or the family member(s) listed in the application own(s) two TPS flats, only one flat under this sale exercise may be purchased. Upon successful purchase of a flat, they must sell both of their TPS flats in compliance with paragraph above within the specified period.