Hong Kong Housing Authority and Housing Department

To allow tenants a chance to rectify their bad habits, we have put in place a Warning System whereby written warning is issued to a tenant committing a misdeed of a less serious nature. Penalty points however will be allotted if he / she repeats the misdeed despite the warning. There are currently 12 misdeeds falling under this Warning System:

	1.	Littering
	2.	Disposing of domestic refuse indiscriminately, such as improper disposal in lift lobbies or inside bins without cover
	3.	Keeping animal, bird or livestock inside leased premises without prior written consent of the Landlord (Note 2)
	4.	Allowing animal and livestock under charge to foul public places with faeces
	5.	Boiling wax in public areas
	6.	Smoking or carrying a lighted cigarette in estate common area
	7.	Illegal gambling in public places
	8.	Throwing objects from height that jeopardise environmental hygiene
	9.	Spitting in public areas
	10.	Urinating and defecating in public places
	11.	Dumping or disposing of decoration debris indiscriminately at refuse collection points, within building or in other public areas
	12.	Using leased premises as food factory or storage
	13.	Illegal hawking of cooked food
	14.	Damaging or stealing Housing Authority (HA)'s property
	15.	Using leased premises for illegal purpose
	16.	Throwing objects from height that may cause danger or personal injury (Note 3)

Note 1:
Apart from the related enforcement action under the Marking Scheme, the Noise Control Ordinance also provides legislative control over noise at any time. A tenant in breach of relevant provisions inside his / her flat will be allotted points upon conviction. In that case, the Warning System will not be applicable.

Note 2:
The Subsidised Housing Committee of the HA endorsed at its meeting on 25 September 2003 to uphold the ban on dogs in public housing estates while granting a general permission for the keeping of "small household pets" that do not pose any health hazard and do not cause any nuisance. But wild lives, exotic animals and domesticated farm animals are strictly prohibited.

"Small household pets" refer to those that are prevalent in the pet market and are generally kept in cages, display cases, aquaria or other containers so designed. Examples are cats, birds (except pigeons), hamsters, chinchillas, guinea-pigs, rabbits, tortoises, aquatic life, etc. Tenants who want to keep a cat should have the animal desexed first.

The HD has adopted the Temporary Permission Rule to handle dogs kept in public housing before implementation of the Marking Scheme. According to the Rule, one-off permissions were given to tenants applying to continue keeping those small dogs (i.e. less than 20 kg in weight) that had been kept in the leased premises before 1 August 2003. Tenants who have been granted the permission should strictly comply with the prescribed rules for dog keeping. The permission will be withdrawn if there are two substantiated incidents of creating nuisance / breaking the rules.

With effect from 1 November 2003, tenants who keep prohibited dog(s) or animal(s) inside the leased premises without prior written consent of the HA will be allotted penalty points under the Marking Scheme.

Note 3:
For households who have thrown objects from a height that may cause serious danger or personal injury, the HA will terminate the subject tenancy by issuing a Notice-to-quit in pursuance of the Housing Ordinance.

Please click the following link to download:
Frequently Asked Questions about the Marking Scheme (PDF format)

A complaint / appeal lodged by a tenant on the allotment of points will first be handled by the concerned Housing Manager. If the complainant / appellant is not satisfied with the Housing Manager's decision, the case will then be handled by concerned Senior Housing Manager. If the complaint / appeal still cannot be settled, then the case will be escalated to the Regional Chief Manager whose decision on the case is final.

General information on the Marking Scheme can be obtained from this website and the HA Hotline (2712 2712). For details, please contact the local Estate Offices / Estate Management Offices / District Tenancy Management Offices.