Under approved amendments to the Housing Ordinance, offenders can face a maximum penalty of a HK$500,000 fine and a one-year jail sentence.
“Public housing is a precious resource and must be used well on those who are in need. A lot of people are still living in undesirable environments, for example, subdivided units… [The bill] focuses on those using the units for profit without living there,” housing secretary Winnie Ho told the legislature ahead of the vote.
The changes also empower officials to check the identity of any suspicious people they encounter while carrying out inspections at public flats.
The period for bringing cases involving people who allegedly provide false statements to the authorities will be extended to six years after the offence, or one year after it is discovered, whichever comes first.
Commercial sector lawmaker Martin Liao was among those backing the government’s amendments, urging the administration to beef up enforcement actions.
“While increasing the penalty level, the government should step up inspection and enforcement to effectively combat abuse, or else the law will be rendered non-existent,” Liao said.
“We can still see advertisements on social media platforms of public housing units for lease at prices several times the original rent. I hope the government would conduct more sting operations or other enforcement actions.”
Fellow lawmaker Kitson Yang, representing Kowloon Central, called on the authorities to exercise caution when taking actions.
“We should adopt a human-centric approach in order avoid wrongfully accusing those who aren’t actually abusing public housing flats,” Yang said.
The amendments are expected to come into force on March 31 next year.
