On Friday, lawmakers in Hong Kong passed a bill requiring subdivided apartments, a prevalent housing arrangement in one of the most expensive cities in the world, to have a minimum size, a private toilet, and other requirements.
About 220,000 individuals, including workers, students, young professionals, and migrants, reside in homes made by partitioning ordinary apartments.In certain areas, there is a toilet bowl adjacent to the kitchen, but there isn't a communal washbasin or restroom.
Beijing wants the city to phase out partitioned apartments by 2049, citing housing issues as a contributing factor to the anti government rallies in 2019.
Winnie Ho, the housing secretary, said that seeing people living in subpar conditions was difficult and that Hong Kong shouldn't be the scene of such suffering.
After hours of discussion, lawmakers approved the bill by a show of hands.
Of the 110,000 existing subdivided homes in the city, almost one fourth are less than the new minimum size requirement of 8 square meters (86 square feet).
In contrast, a parking spot in the city is typically 10 square meters (110 square feet) in size.
To comply with the new regulations, an estimated 33,000 units or 30% of the current divided apartments would require extensive repairs, while the remaining units would just require minor adjustments.
Each apartment must have a separate bathroom with a door separating it from the remainder of the flat, a minimum of one openable window, and special fire detectors, among other requirements.
After a grace period for renovating subpar dwellings, landlords will only be able to rent out properties that are deemed to fulfil the standards.
In addition to a daily fine for persistent infractions, violations might result in a fine of up to 300,000 Hong Kong dollars (about USD 38,500) and three years in jail.
In March of next year, the authorities intended to launch a registration program.
Residents with low incomes have voiced worries about their future under the new regulations, fearing that rent will increase and that they will have difficulty finding new housing if their flats don't match the standards.
