View of apartment blocks in Hong Kong.
More people in Hong Kong are living in “coffin” homes amid sky-rocketing rental prices, reported Reuters.
Home to over seven million people, Hong Kong has seen home prices soar by almost 50 percent since 2012, making property there one of the world’s most unaffordable.
With this, the low-ceilinged units measuring just 20 sq ft, serve as home to many people, including Wong Ziwa, who cannot afford to rent a property.
Paying US$226 (S$321) in monthly rent, Wong has lived in such homes for more than two decades.
And while he has applied for public housing, he has yet to hear back from the government.
“It’s been two years since I applied for public housing, but I still haven’t heard back,” said Wong. “How long am I going to wait? I don’t even know.”
The Hong Kong government has revealed plans to build 460,000 apartments in the next decade.
But social worker Sze Lai Shan believes short-term policies are needed to address the situation.
“Living in a very tiny space with polluted air and simple surroundings. They don’t even have enough room to stretch their bodies and such tight spaces may have many psychological and social impacts,” she said.
According to the government, the number of people living in small spaces such as Wong’s, stands at almost 200,000.
Sze, however, believes the real number is much higher.
Romesh Navaratnarajah, Senior Editor at PropertyGuru, edited this story. To contact him about this or other stories, email romesh@propertyguru.com.sg
