The Hong Kong Housing Authority has adopted two measures to optimize the subsidy for the sale of units to reduce the burden of households buying a home

The Zhitong Finance App learned that on November 13, the Hong Kong Housing Authority's Housing Subcommission passed two measures to optimize subsidized sales units, including lowering the threshold for first-time households to buy a home and easing the transfer limit period for subsidized sales units first launched between 2022 and 2025 to help different citizens purchase subsidized sales units to achieve the goal of living and working peacefully.

Lowering the threshold for first-time households to buy a home

The “Family Owned First-Time Preferential Housing Scheme” and “Family-Owned First-Time Preferential Housing Scheme” announced by the Chief Executive in the 2023 “Policy Address” have gradually paid off. To further assist new-born families to buy a home and reduce their initial burden, the Chief Executive announced in the 2026 “Policy Address” that starting with the next Home Ownership Plan (Home) sales plan, the maximum mortgage ratio for white-listed household applicants with newborn babies will be raised from 90% to 90%, in line with green form applicants. All families with children aged 3 or under on the application form on the application deadline for the relevant home sales plan can benefit from this measure.

Relaxation of the transfer limit period for subsidized sales units first sold between 2022 and 2025

The Chief Executive announced in the 2025 “Policy Address” that the restriction period for the transfer of a new sales subsidy in the open market was shortened from 15 years to 10 years from the date of the first transfer. The relevant measures have been implemented with “Sale of Residential Housing Units 2025” and “Sale of Green Form Home Ownership Program Units 2025.” To encourage more landlords to move up the home buying ladder, the Housing Authority will also shorten the transfer limit period to 10 years for subsidized sales units first launched between 2022 and 2025.

A spokesman for the Hong Kong Housing Authority said, “The Housing Authority has always strived for excellence. In recent years, it has made greater efforts to optimize sales, financial and transfer arrangements to fund the sale of units. On the one hand, the above two new measures help more families to step up the home buying ladder, and on the other hand, they also promote the circulation of subsidized sales units and assist citizens to buy and settle down in all aspects.”