Abstract
Spaces of Justice is controversial to understand the multifaceted inequalities character of contemporary cities. “Partitioned flats” and “sub-divided units (SDUs)” are commonly known as “unsuitable housing “ in Hong Kong. Since 2004, the government abolished the tenancy control, the rent is unaffordable for low-income families. Therefore, this study aimed at understanding the tenants’ living experience and the factors causing the rent to be soaring. This research adopted hybrid methods, 418 online questionnaires are collected, 20 in-depth interviews and 8 focus groups were conducted with tenants of SDUs, 15 experts with multidisciplinary backgrounds were interviewed to collect their views on the unsuitable housing problem and to make recommendations on its legislation. The study reveals that 76% of the respondents spend 40% or more of their monthly household income on rent. The top-three issues most troubled the respondents are 1. Rent increases (80%), 2. Negative impacts on their children (39.8%), 3. Negative impacts on their mental health (39.6%). Through the in-depth interview, owners entrust the property management agencies to manage their rental units with service charges. These agents privately increased rent without informing the owners. Extra fees will be charged if the tenant wants to continue to rent this SDH. Embezzling these extra charges is a common illegal practice. Forced eviction and subletting are used to create new leases to defraud additional commissions. The research team urged the Government, 1. Legislation on rent control, 2. Crackdown the illegal practices of the property agents, and 3. Increasing the supply of transitional housing.
Presenters
Yuk Yee LeeAssistant Professor, School of Social Work, Gratia Christian College (Hong Kong), Hong Kong
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Spatial justice, Right to adequate housing, Rent control, Housing policy, Transitional Housing
