The Housing Bureau on Thursday submitted to the legislature proposals on how to regulate the shoebox flats to only allow those that meet official standards to remain on the market.
According to authorities, enforcement of these standards is expected to begin on March 2027. A landlord who leases a subdivided flat without valid registration and accreditation can face a maximum fine of HK$300,000 and up to three years in prison.
But before this, these landlords will have a year – from March 2026 to February 2027 – to register their homes for rectification.
Once registered, they will have a 36-month grace period until February 2030 to make changes to meet a number of requirements, such as a minimum size of eight square metres and get accreditation to prove that their properties meet the standards.
To prevent the “procrastination of alteration works” and encourage early rectification, the bureau could reduce or waive the HK$3,000 accreditation fee for owners who complete works early.
Landlords would be barred from signing new tenancy contracts during the six months leading to the end of the grace period, officials added.
The government aims to table the bill on July 9 and have the new law passed before the end of the current Legislative Council term.
