91视频

HONG KONG 鈥� Jimmy Au鈥檚 world shrinks to about the size of a parking space whenever she gets home.

Her cramped聽Hong Kong聽home is one of four units carved out of what was once a single apartment. Most of the space is occupied by the bunk bed she shares with her husband and son, and their sleep is often disrupted by neighbors returning late or heading out early. Au鈥檚 son often gets bruises bumping into things. Privacy is limited, with only a curtain separating the bathroom from the kitchen.

But what troubles Au most about her home is that she might lose it. Hong Kong鈥檚 government is planning to crack down on what it calls聽inadequate housing in subdivided apartments, mandating a minimum size and other baseline standards for homes like Au鈥檚. A public consultation period ended last week, and the government is aiming to pass the rules into law this year.

The proposed rules leave many low-income residents like Au uncertain about their future in one of the world鈥檚聽most expensive housing markets.

Au, a homemaker who moved from mainland China nine years ago, said her family pays about $460 per month for rent, about half of the income her husband makes from irregular renovation jobs.

鈥淚鈥檓 afraid the rent will get so high we can鈥檛 afford it,鈥� Au said, sitting on the bed鈥檚 lower bunk, surrounded by clothes, a fan and plastic storage drawers.

Housing is聽a sensitive issue聽in Hong Kong 鈥� one of the world鈥檚 least affordable cities. Some 7.5 million people live in a small territory that鈥檚 mostly made up of steep slopes. Just 7 percent, or 30 square miles, of the city鈥檚 total land is residential.

Beijing officials, who see Hong Kong鈥檚 housing problems as a driver of the 2019 anti-government protests, want the city to phase out subdivided units by 2049. The government is also boosting the public housing supply, aiming to provide 189,000 flats over the next five years.

But some 220,000 people 鈥� migrants, workers, students and young professionals 鈥� rely on subdivided units.

Most subdivided homes are not far from the standards, the government said, but an estimated 33,000 units would need major renovations to meet them.

The proposed rules would mandate a minimum size of at least eight square meters (86 square feet), to leave room for low-priced housing. Every unit would also need to have a window, a toilet exclusively for the occupants鈥� use, and a door to separate the toilet from other parts of the home, among other criteria.

Landlords would have a grace period to renovate. After that, violations could lead to up to three years鈥� imprisonment and a maximum fine of about $38,500.

Security guard Fafa Ching has lived in multiple subdivided flats for over a decade. Her current unit costs about $490 per month and lacks even a bathroom sink, forcing her to collect water from the showerhead with a basin to wash her face. Her home will need renovation to meet proposed requirements for fire safety and separate electricity and water meters.

Ching worries that upgraded homes will be too expensive for her.

The government has stated that, if necessary, it will help affected tenants find other private accommodation or directly provide temporary shelter. A top official told the city鈥檚 public broadcaster that transitional housing apartments are ready and assured that large-scale enforcement will happen only when proper resettlement arrangements are available.

Chan Siu-ming, a professor in the City University of Hong Kong鈥檚 social and behavioral sciences department, welcomed the government taking steps to set minimum standards, but said its resettlement plans are inadequate.

The impact could be wider than officials expect, and the city鈥檚 supply of public and transitional housing may not meet needs, Chan said. Low-income residents may also need help shouldering the cost of relocation, he said.

As of September 2024, the average waiting time for a public flat was five and a half years, but it can be much longer. Ching said she has waited for eight years.

In an emailed response to questions from The Associated Press, the government stated it does not expect significant surges in rent as demand will drop with the increasing public housing supply. It reiterated that the rules will be implemented gradually to avoid causing panic.

Chan added that some single people may be forced into even smaller dormitory-like 鈥渂ed spaces,鈥� which would not be covered by the proposed rules. Bed spaces are widely considered Hong Kong鈥檚 worst form of housing 鈥� partitioned areas in which residents get barely enough space to fit a single bed and some belongings. They are currently regulated under another law, the government stated.

Sze Lai-shan, the deputy director of the nongovernmental Society for Community Organization, suggested the government start registering substandard flats before the legislation is enacted to assess the residents鈥� needs and consider expanding the eligibility for transitional housing. She also hopes the policy will eventually cover bed spaces.

鈥淚t鈥檚 difficult to explain to people that Hong Kong has two sets of housing standards,鈥� she said.

In Sham Shui Po, one of the city鈥檚 poorest districts, Law Chung Yu, a bed space resident, said he doubts that landlords will be able to comply with the rules.

Law, who can鈥檛 work due to a health problem and rents one layer of a bunk bed, pays around $280 in monthly rent. That is about 30 percent of what he gets from the government subsidies he lives on. He shares a bathroom with neighbors in an apartment infested by lice.

鈥淚t鈥檚 basically an armchair strategy; I don鈥檛 see it having much impact in reality,鈥� he said.

Au hasn鈥檛 ever measured her unit and isn鈥檛 sure if it meets the proposed minimum size. But units adjacent to hers do not, so she suspects hers is the same. She hopes the government will help affected households resettle into places that cost the same as their current residences.

Au鈥檚 landlord hasn鈥檛 discussed the issue with her yet. For now, all she can do is wait.

鈥淚鈥檓 taking it day by day,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檇 be worse if I think about it so much, I develop mental problems.鈥�