Application Procedures | Hong Kong Housing Authority and Housing Department

The information on how to apply for the Certificate for Eligibility to Purchase (CEP) (Green Form Status) and Letter of Nomination (LN) together with the important notes for applicants are as follows-

Application for Certificate of Eligibility to Purchase (Green Form Status)

Application forms for CEP and application guide are obtainable from this website and at the following offices:

All Estate Offices / District Tenancy Management Offices

HOS Secondary Market Scheme Unit
Housing Department
Room 202, 2/F, Lung Cheung Office Block
138 Lung Cheung Road, Wong Tai Sin
Kowloon

Applicants should submit (i) the original copy of the completed application form; (ii) a crossed cheque (can be issued by the applicant or other persons) or cashier’s order for the application fee of HK$900 made payable to “HONG KONG HOUSING AUTHORITY” (Please write down the HKIC number of the applicant at the back of the cheque/ cashier’s order. Only crossed cheque or cashier’s order is acceptable. Other payment means such as payment at convenience store, post-dated cheque, cash, gift cheque, postal order and electronic cheque, etc. will not be accepted.); and (iii) the original GFC applicable to HOS SMS (if applicable) in the manner as specified below:
Applicants who are residing in PRH or IH units	They are required to submit the completed application forms to their respective Estate Offices/ District Tenancy Management Offices during office hours for verification of eligibility. The Estate Offices/ District Tenancy Management Offices will forward the verified and endorsed application forms, together with crossed cheque/ cashier’s order for payment of the application fee, to the HOS SMS Unit.
Applicants who are residing in Rental Estates of the HKHS	They are required to submit the completed application forms to their respective Rental Estate Offices during office hours for verification of eligibility. After Estate Office’s endorsement on the application form, applicants are required within 14 days to submit the application forms, together with crossed cheque/ cashier’s order for payment of the application fee, photocopies of Identity Document of the applicant and all family members, and a copy of the Tenancy Agreement by hand to the HOS SMS Unit.
Applicants holding valid GFC applicable to HOS SMS	The completed application forms, crossed cheque/ cashier’s order for payment of the application fee, photocopies of Identity Document of the applicant and all family members, together with the original GFC applicable to HOS SMS should be submitted in person to the HOS SMS Unit. Holders of GFC that is issued in the Civil Service Public Housing Quota should submit their application form with the above documents and a photocopy of their latest salary statement to the HOS SMS Unit.
RAES recipients	The completed application forms, together with crossed cheque/ cashier’s order for payment of the application fee, should be submitted during office hours to the Rent Allowance for the Elderly Scheme dedicated team at Applications Sub-section, Podium Level 2, Hong Kong Housing Authority Customer Service Centre, 3 Wang Tau Hom South Road, Kowloon.

Applicants may submit Online Application. The online application is only applicable to the applicant and relevant party(ies) who hold an activated “iAM Smart+” account with digital signing function or a valid personal digital certificate (including applicants and all family members aged 18 or above for applying CEP). Applicants may complete and submit the online application through the HA website, GovHK or “iAM Smart” website. Staff of the respective offices will contact the applicants upon receipt of their online application to verify their eligibility, including arrangement of the collection of the requisite documents and the application fee by a crossed cheque or cashier’s order, etc.

Furthermore, the applicants may also choose to pay the application fee via the Faster Payment System (FPS) during online application. Households of PRH units/ Authorised residents of IH under the HA or Households of Group A Rental Estates under the HKHS, upon completion of online application¸ the HOS SMS Unit will issue a payment notification letter with a QR code via email to the applicants for paying the application fee after the respective Estate Offices/ District Tenancy Management Office/ Management Offices/ Rental Estate Office completed the vetting of the application. Holders of a valid GFC applicable to HOS SMS issued by the HA/ URA, upon completion of online application¸ staff of the HOS SMS Unit will contact the applicants for arranging the collection of photocopies of Identity Document of the applicant and all family members, the original GFC applicable to HOS SMS and a photocopy of their latest salary statement (applicable to the GFC holders under Civil Service Public Housing Quota only), etc., to verify their eligibility, and arrange the collection of the application fee.

To avoid delay and allow sufficient processing time, for CEP applicants holding GFC the expiry date must be more than one calendar month from the date of online application. If not, a paper application should be submitted.

The applicant of the CEP must be the purchaser. The CEP, is valid from the date of issuance to the expiry date on the certificate (valid for twelve months in general), will be issued to the applicant after verification. No extension of the period of validity for the certificate will be granted under any circumstances. Applicants, issued with a CEP, who are unable to sign a Provisional Agreement for Sale and Purchase (PASP) for the purchase of a flat in the HOS Secondary Market within the validity period of the Certificate but still wish to purchase a flat under HOS SMS provided that they still meet the eligibility criteria, must re-apply and pay the necessary fee again. Up to the date of signing the PASP, the purchaser and the family members listed in the application must still meet all the eligibility criteria.

Application for Letter of Nomination

The purchaser and seller are required to produce to each other and/or the estate agent valid supporting documents, such as a valid CEP on the part of the purchaser and a Certificate of Availability for Sale (CAS) on the part of the seller, before PASP is signed. The solicitor representing the purchaser(s) will apply to the HA on behalf of the purchaser for a LN within one month from the date of the PASP but in any event no later than five (5) working days (or otherwise as HA may specify) before the signing of the Formal Agreement for Sale and Purchase (ASP) for confirmation of the eligibility of the purchaser(s), and that the purchaser(s) shall sign the ASP and the Deed of Assignment to complete the transaction only after the issue of the LN. Application for a LN should be forwarded to the HOS SMS Unit enclosing the following documents:

(a)

The original of the seller's CAS;

(b)

The original of the purchaser’s valid CEP (Green Form Status);

(c)

A copy of the PASP (in the prescribed form);

(d)

A Declaration in support of the Application for LN (in the prescribed form) made by the purchaser(s) before a solicitor;

(e)

Requisite application fee HK$1,070 (to be paid by cashier order or solicitors' cheque);

(f)

Undertaking by Solicitors for Application for LN.

Important Notes for Applicants

Should there be changes in the family circumstances after issue of CEP, the purchaser should notify the HA for amendment of record and verification of their eligibility.
When making a transaction in the HOS Secondary Market, the intending purchaser is strongly advised to verify the identity of the seller. Moreover, the purchaser/seller, the estate agent concerned and the solicitors representing the purchaser and the seller are required to use prescribed forms specified by the HA, including PASP, ASP and Deed of Assignment. Legal documents other than these will be considered null and void, and the purchaser’s title will consequently be affected. Any amendments to the clauses of the prescribed forms shall require the HA’s prior approval and written consent.
Joint ownership is allowed provided that the ownership is in the form of joint tenancy not inheritable by a third party. The applicant must become the owner of the flat purchased, but may choose to share the ownership with one of the adult family members listed in the application.
Upon execution of Deed of Assignment of the flats purchased under HOS SMS, tenants of PRH or licensees of IH are required to tender Notice-to-Quit (NTQ) to terminate the original tenancies/ licences provided a 14-day advance notice is given and surrender the existing PRH/ IH unit to the HA within 60 days (or before the redevelopment/ clearance date of the flat, whichever is the earlier, if affected by redevelopment/ clearance). In case of need, households concerned may apply for an extended stay for a maximum period of 30 days. If approved, during the occupation period, they are required to pay an occupation fee equivalent to triple net rent/ licence fee plus rates; or if they are market rent/ licence fee payers before the deadline for vacating the PRH/ IH unit, the occupation fee payable should be equivalent to the market rent/ licence fee or triple net rent/ licence fee plus rates, whichever is the higher. Occupation fee is required to be paid in advance.
For holders of Green Form Certificate issued by HA/URA, their application number will be cancelled and they will not be allocated any public housing unit upon their purchase of a flat under HOS SMS as a result of the CEP application. Their applications for the other subsidised housing schemes will also be cancelled (if applicable).
For recipients of RAES, their RAES allowance will be automatically ceased after 60 days upon the execution of the deed of assignment.
For households of rental estates under the HKHS, they shall vacant the rental unit currently occupied and return it to the HKHS in accordance with the relevant provisions upon the execution of the deed of assignment under HOS SMS as a result of the CEP application.
For Light Public Housing (LPH) occupant(s) who successfully purchased a flat under HOS SMS, he/ she/ they shall have his/ her/ their name(s) deleted from the respective household register or record and shall move out from such unit within 60 days from the date of signing the ASP. If the LPH occupant(s) who successfully purchased a flat under HOS SMS are the whole household of sitting LPH occupant(s), the Licensee(s) of the concerned LPH unit(s) shall submit a NTQ to the Housing Bureau (HB). The LPH occupant(s) shall terminate the Occupation Licence Agreement of his/ her/ their unit(s) within 60 days upon execution of the Deed of Assignment of the flats purchased under HOS SMS and shall return his/ her/ their LPH unit(s) in vacant possession to the HB on or before the day the licence is terminated.
The purchaser shall not assign or sell any interest in the property or in the Provisional / Formal Agreement for Sale and Purchase to a third party before the transaction is completed.
If prior to the issue of a LN there should be any change of status as to render the purchaser ineligible for applying or if the purchaser should receive any subsidies provided by the HA or HKHS, the purchaser will not be issued a LN;
Both purchasers and sellers should take into consideration that at least 5 working days are required for the handling of the LN application. It is suggested to have an allowance of 12 to 14 days counting from signing of PASP until entering into the ASP.
For purchasers joining "Staff Housing Loan Mortgage" provided by their employers for purchasing the flats under the HOS SMS, they should apply to the Director of Housing for approval before proceeding with any mortgage arrangement. It normally takes at least 14 working days on processing the above application. The purchasers should take this factor into consideration before fixing the date to sign ASP and Deed of Assignment.