Hong Kong Housing Authority and Housing Department

The Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA)’s Housing Subsidy Policy (HSP), which has been implemented since 1 April 1987, and the Policy on Safeguarding Rational Allocation of Public Housing Resources (SRA), which endorsed in April 1996, are commonly referred to as the “Well-off Tenants Policies” (WTP). In light of the increasing demand for public rental housing (PRH), the HA’s Subsidised Housing Committee (SHC) considers that while making the best efforts to increase PRH supply, it is necessary to examine ways to better utilize PRH resources at the same time to ensure that efforts would be focused on allocating PRH resources to those with more pressing housing needs.

SHC endorsed revisions to the WTP on 9 December 2016 and the implementation details on 14 February 2017. The revised WTP has been implemented starting from the declaration cycle in October 2017. SHC endorsed the enhanced WTP on 24 May 2023. Details of the revised WTP and enhanced WTP are as follows:

• PRH households whose family income exceeds 5 times the prevailing PRH income limits (PRHILs) or whose total household net asset value exceeds 100 times the prevailing PRHILs or PRH households fail to return the completed Declaration Form on or before the specified date, or opt not to declare should vacate their PRH flats.
• PRH households who have domestic property ownership in Hong Kong should vacate their PRH flats, irrespective of their levels of income or assets.
• For households who do not have domestic property ownership in Hong Kong and whose household income and net asset value do not exceed the prescribed levels of income and net asset value, they may continue to live in their PRH flats; if their household income exceeds 2 times and not more than 3 times the prevailing PRHILs, they will be required to pay 1.5 times net rent plus rates; if their household income exceeds 3 times and not more than 5 times the prevailing PRHILs, they will be required to pay double net rent plus rates. Households that are required to vacate their PRH flats but have a temporary housing need may apply for a fixed-term licence to stay in the concerned PRH flats for maximum of 4 months, during which a licence fee equivalent to the double net rent plus rates or market rent, whichever is higher, is charged.  Housing Department (HD) will not reassess the tenants' eligibility and the family must move out upon expiry of the fixed-term licence. (Please click here for the relevant income and net asset limits)
• PRH households are required to declare to the HAevery two years after admission to PRH on whether they have any domestic property ownership in Hong Kong.  PRH tenants and all family members should make declaration to the HA after having acquired a domestic property in Hong Kong (within one month of entering into any agreement, including provisional agreements). 

1. All members aged 60 or above
2. All members receiving Comprehensive Social Security Assistance
3. All members eligible for/ receiving Social Welfare Department’s Disability Allowance
4. All members in different combinations of i, ii and/ or iii above
5. On shared tenancies

Households who have been living in PRH for ten years are required to make a declaration of family income and assets biennially. In addition, households who are granted a new tenancy under the Policy on Grant of New Tenancy and households with their applications under the Tenancy Management Policies for PRH approved are also required to make a declaration biennially* pursuant to the "Well-off Tenants Policies", irrespective of their length of residence.

• Households will first declare whether they have domestic property ownership in Hong Kong. If affirmative, they do not need to fill in their income details or declare their asset level.
• Households who do not have domestic property ownership in Hong Kong will be required to fill in their family income details and declare whether or not their total household net asset value exceeds 100 times the prevailing PRHILs. (No supporting documents are required at this stage.)
• Households who refuse to declare whether they have domestic property ownership in Hong Kong/ fill in the details about their family income and/ or declare whether or not their total household net asset value exceeds 100 times the prevailing PRHILs will need to vacate their PRH flats.

*  First review may be less than 2 years

To combat tenancy abuse with a view to safeguarding the rational use of PRH resources, the SHC endorsed the implementation of the enhanced WTP with effect from October 2023.

Biennial Declaration

PRH tenants and all family members are required to declare to the HA every two years after admission to PRH on whether they:

1. have any domestic property ownership in Hong Kong
2. have retained regular and continuous residence in PRH flats
3. have complied with the terms in the tenancy agreement regarding occupancy status

PRH tenants and all family members should make declaration to the Housing Authority after having acquired a domestic property in Hong Kong (within one month of entering into any agreement, including provisional agreements).  Households who refuse to declare will have their tenancies terminated. Households who are exempted from the WTP are not required to declare whether they own any domestic property in Hong Kong, they are only required to declare their occupancy status.

The declaration forms will be issued in April and October of each year in batches. Households not yet included in the declaration cycle of WTP should make declaration on “Declaration Form on Occupancy Status and Particulars of Domestic Property Ownership in Hong Kong”. Households already included in the declaration cycle of WTP who need to declare their income, assets and domestic property ownership in Hong Kong will only need to fill out the “Declaration Form on Occupancy Status”. 

“Ownership of domestic property in Hong Kong” means the cases where the tenant/ licensee and/or his/her household member(s) has/have :

• owned or co-owned any domestic property in Hong Kong or any interest in such kind of property; or  
• entered into any agreement (including provisional agreement) to purchase any domestic property in Hong Kong; or  
• owned more than 50% of the shares in a company which directly or through a subsidiary company owned any domestic property in Hong Kong; or
• been a beneficiary of the estate of any deceased person which includes any domestic property or land in Hong Kong.

“Domestic properties” include any domestic property, uncompleted private domestic property, rooftop structures approved by the Buildings Department, domestic building lots and small house grants approved by the Lands Department in Hong Kong.

• Employment income (pre-tax)(including income from household members working overseas)
• Allowances from employers (including education, housing allowances, etc.)
• Self-employment income and business income
• Income from the average monthly interest, bonus and dividends, etc. from fixed deposits, insurance and investments
• Income from lands/ landed properties, etc.
• Income from commercial vehicles
• Monthly pension
• Any other income (such as CSSA for individual household member(s), financial support from relatives and friends not living together, maintenance fee of divorce, etc.)

• Deposits, cash and loans to others
• Investments
• Business undertakings
• Vehicles
• Taxi/ Public Light Bus Licences (including vehicles)
• Landed properties (such as commercial and industrial properties, parking spaces, etc.)
• Lands

• Lump-sum compensation for loss of earning power due to injuries sustained at work or in traffic and other accidents;
• Lump-sum retirement benefits received under mandatory provident fund schemes, occupational retirement schemes and civil service pension scheme;
• Lump-sum insurance claims, statutory/ non-statutory compensations and other special financial assistance received due to death of household members in the tenancy and claims under critical illness insurance policies received by household members in the tenancy.

General information on the “Well-off Tenants Policies” can be obtained from this webpage and the HA Hotline (2712 2712).  For details, please contact the local Estate Offices/Estate Management Offices/ District Tenancy Management Offices, or call Public Housing Resources Management Sub-section hotline on 3547 0881 during office hours (Monday - Friday, 9am - 6pm)

Frequently Asked Questions

• (Please click here for Frequently Asked Questions)