Homeowners Set To Be Banned From Subsidised Flats

The Housing Authority is proposing to ban people who already own a home from applying for a subsidised unit under the "green form" scheme, RTHK has learnt.

The authority will put the suggestion to a committee on Wednesday, and the new rule could come into effect the next time a batch of subsidised homes are put for sale.

There had been calls for such a move following reports that a suspect in the murder of a socialite earlier this year had bought a government-subsidised flat despite already owning a property worth tens of millions.

The proposed change will align the rules with those for "white form" subsidised flat applicants who must not have owned or co-owned a flat in the previous two years.

It is understood that more than 9,100 new flats at six estates will be included in a new round of the Home Ownership Scheme later this year.

The flats, in Kwun Tong, Kai Tak, Tuen Mun and Yuen Long, are reportedly set to be sold at 62 percent of their market value, costing between HK$1.49 million and HK$4.94 million.