Policy Address 2025: Hong Kong holds off on reviving public housing purchase scheme

The government has made a “cautious” decision not to revive a long-axed mechanism allowing public housing tenants to purchase their homes at a discount, an academic has said.

It came as the city’s biggest pro-Beijing party said it would continue urging the authorities to bring back the scheme, following Wednesday’s Policy Address.

Contrary to local media reports in the lead-up to Chief Executive John Lee’s fourth policy blueprint, Lee did not announce a revival of the Tenants Purchase Scheme (TPS), which was axed some two decades ago in 2005.

Professor Yung Yau at Lingnan University’s Institute of Policy Studies said in a statement that the government’s decision was not an easy one, and that he believed it had carefully weighed the pros and cons of such a policy.

Citing the city’s struggling property market, Yau said that re-launching the programme may further affect market stability. Reintroducing it could also affect the amount of public housing in circulation, impacting public housing queue times, he added.

See also: Policy Address 2025: Hong Kong to slash residential price threshold for investment immigration scheme

Yau also cited estate management issues: “Past experience has shown that these estates have often faced challenges regarding management, and residents’ satisfaction has suffered as a result.”

Holding off on bringing back the scheme was “undoubtedly a rational and responsible approach,” he added.

Housing ladder

Instead of the TPS, Lee on Wednesday announced other measures to make it easier for public housing tenants to buy a flat.

With the overall supply of subsidised flats expected to increase by 50 per cent in the coming five years, the government will allocate additional quotas for public rental housing tenants – or “Green Form” applicants – to purchase a subsidised flat, Lee said.

They will have the same quota as White Form applicants – renters on the private market who meet specific income and asset limits, after the ratio of green to white form applicants is adjusted from 40:60 to 50:50.

Meanwhile, local media cited government sources on Wednesday as saying that the scheme had not been relaunched owing to “divisions” in society, including factors such as the discount rates and the views of public housing tenants.

At a press conference following Lee’s address on Wednesday, Hong Kong’s largest pro-establishment party, the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB), urged the government to relaunch the program, citing calls from public housing residents.

DAB lawmaker Chan Hok-fung said that the scheme was a “contentious” issue, but also that the party would meet with authorities to discuss how to relaunch the policy.

Hong kong policy address 2025

Hong Kong to open 8 gov’t-run venues for commercial, private use

The Leisure and Cultural Services Department also said it would allow commercial advertising at 16 of its venues and facilities, including the external wall of City Hall’s High Block, the harbour-facing façade of the Cultural Centre, and the dome of the Hong Kong Space Museum.

Hong Kong NGO calls for legal reform as victims of non-consensual condom removal struggle to seek help

A total of 57 out of 277 respondents in the survey said they had experienced stealthing, also known as non-consensual condom removal.

60% of Hong Kong direct subsidy schools welcome trial to admit more international students

Dion Chen, chair of the Direct Subsidy Scheme Schools Council, gave assurance that the trial scheme would not affect local students’ admissions because the new spots are reserved only for international students.

35,000 imported workers in Hong Kong as of late August, labour chief says

Workers imported under the Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme (ESLS) accounted for around 1 per cent of the city’s labour force, Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun said.

HKFP Monitor September 20, 2025: Where did ‘Night Vibes’ go; Hong Kong as a hub of hubs

This week, we look into the strange disappearance of the Hong Kong government’s Night Vibes website and what happened to this marquee policy for reviving local tourism, retail and catering.

Policy Address 2025: Hong Kong leader pledges to help local media expand overseas, vows no interference

The media in Hong Kong received a rare mention in the 2025 Policy Address on Wednesday, when Chief Executive John Lee said the government will assist local press to expand their network beyond the city.

Policy Address 2025: Include ‘affirmative consent,’ NGO urges, as city leader vows to amend sexual offence laws

A supplement in Chief Executive John Lee’s Wednesday address states that the Security Bureau will aim to complete legislative amendments within the current term of the government.

Policy Address 2025: Greenpeace urges climate initiatives as lawmakers heap praise on leader’s annual speech

“The Policy Address focuses on adding hardware infrastructure without considering the environment’s carrying capacity,” Greenpeace wrote, adding it was concerned that the development of country parks could destroy Hong Kong’s natural landscapes.

Policy Address 2025: Hong Kong holds off on reviving public housing purchase scheme

Local media cited government sources on Wednesday as saying that the scheme had not been relaunched owing to “divisions” in society, including factors such as the discount rates and the views of public housing tenants.

Policy Address 2025: Hong Kong to expand student suicide emergency mechanism to upper primary

The Three-tier School-based Emergency Mechanism, rolled out in December 2023 amid an upward trend in student suicides, will become a permanent policy to strengthen support for those in need, Chief Executive John Lee said in his Policy Address on Wednesday.

More from the 2025 Policy Address

Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.