The Housing Authority's Commercial Properties Committee today approved the extension of the 75% rent concession for eligible non-domestic tenants or licensees and carpark users for monthly parking of commercial vehicles for three months from October 1.

The move ties in with the Government's measures to extend rental concessions which was announced this month.

During this rent concession period, eligible non-domestic tenants or licensees may continue to apply for the full concession for the period during which their operation at the premises concerned have to be closed under the Government's anti-epidemic regulations or directions.

In this round of extension, rent concessions for the trades of convenience stores, personal stores and fresh or chilled or frozen food will be subject to the tenants' application and production of proof of sales drops, in line with that currently applicable to supermarkets or superstores.

If the trades tenants suffer a sales drop during the extended rent concession period compared to that of the same period in the preceding year, a concession at the same percentage will be provided to them, capped at 75%.

Eligible tenants or licensees of about 2,600 retail and 1,380 factory premises, some 80 advertising signboards and around 40 tenancies of bus kiosks and about 4,400 carpark users will benefit from this round of rent concessions.

The rent the authority has foregone for this round of extension is estimated to be around $352 million, while the total rent foregone from October 2019 to December 2022 is estimated to be around $4 billion.