Justice Centre welcomes the Government’s plan to introduce rent control for subdivided housing units, which includes priority for existing tenants to renew leases, a cap on annual rental increase as 15%, and a ban on overcharging utilities.
As many of the 13,000 asylum seekers and refugees live in subdivided flats, our Senior Advocacy and Communications Officer Preston presented on relevant challenges that our community faced to the Task Force for the Study on Tenancy Control of Subdivided Units, at the presence of the Under-Secretary for Transport and Housing Raymond So, upon invitation in August 2020.
We are pleased to contribute to this policy-making process and would continue to work with the Government in addressing issues that may vary the effect of this policy in our community, including meagre rental subsidies, language barriers and racial discrimination.
Read relevant press coverage here: https://www.thestandard.com.hk/section-news/section/11/231881/Rents-crackdown-on-subdivided-flats.
對於政府宣布計劃實施劏房租務管制，Justice Centre 表示歡迎。建議修訂包括為租客提供合共4年的租住權保障、加設租金加幅上限為15%，以及禁止超收水電費。
由於在港的13,000名尋求庇護人士及難民當中為數不少居住在劏房，我們的高級倡議及傳訊主任 Preston 在2020年8月參與了由劏房租務管制研究工作小組安排的諮詢會議，並與工作小組成員和運輸及房屋局副局長蘇偉文就難民社群面對的相關困難交換意見。
我們很高興能夠為此政策制定過程作出貢獻，同時我們亦會繼續與政府合作，以解決可能影響此政策成效的問題，包括在港難民接獲的微薄租金津貼、語言障礙、種族歧視等。