The government will start gathering suggestions and opinions from residents today via telephone questionnaires concerning its proposed “swap” system allowing households living in subsidised home-ownership scheme (HOS) flats to apply to move to other HOS units with different bedroom numbers, the Housing Bureau (IH) has announced.
An IH statement on Friday said that the opinion collection period will run until September 30.
The bureau’s announcement came after Secretary for Transport and Public Works Raymond Tam Vai Man told lawmakers in February that the government would study the feasibility of establishing such a system allowing existing HOS households to apply to move to other HOS units with different bedroom numbers.
Tam said at that time that the proposed measure aims to enable HOS households with their family size having grown to move to flats with more bedrooms.
Friday’s statement noted that the bureau commissioned a research institution earlier this year to carry out a study on the feasibility of establishing a HOS flat swap system.
The statement noted that the research institution has completed collecting suggestions and opinions from community associations earlier this year.
The statement said that the research institution’s second-phase opinion collection period will start today where its staff members will collect suggestions and opinions from residents, including existing HOS households, via telephone questionnaires, chosen by random sampling.
This photo taken earlier this year shows subsidised home-ownership scheme (HOS) estates in Ilha Verde district. – Photo: Tony Wong
