1 in 4 subdivided flats fail to meet proposed minimum size requirements: housing chief

Hong Kong’s housing chief has revealed that many existing subdivided flats fall below proposed minimum standards, citing official survey findings that show about a quarter of these homes are smaller than required and about 10 per cent lack a window.

Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho Wing-yin told lawmakers on Monday that the major issue for the existing 110,000 subdivided flats was complying with the size requirement.

The government plans to regulate shoebox homes, carved up from a standard flat into several smaller spaces, through legislation mandating proposed standards next year.

Ho said an official survey had found 26 per cent of the flats were smaller than the 86 sq ft required and only around 10 per cent did not have windows.

The minister earlier told the Post that a government-commissioned consultant looked into 2,600 subdivided flats in the city.

The administration later estimated that about 30 per cent of the existing subdivided homes would not meet the overall proposed criteria and the remaining would require a minor fix to comply with the standards.

Besides size and window requirements, the proposed standards include a minimum 2m (6.6 feet) height from floor to ceiling beam and 2.3m to ceiling. The flats must also be equipped with at least one openable window and a toilet with proper partitions, as well as meet fire and structural safety requirements.