Enhanced measures in the Marking Scheme for Estate Management Enforcement in Public Housing Estates will take effect on December 18, the Housing Authority (HA) announced today.

The measures involve increased penalty points for nine types of misdeed relating to environmental hygiene, public safety and serious breaches of tenancy agreements. The scope of two types of misdeed, relating to environmental hygiene and serious breaches of tenancy agreements, will also be broadened.

Penalty points will be increased from five to seven for five types of misdeed, namely littering, disposing of refuse indiscriminately, allowing animals to foul public places with faeces, obstructing corridors or stairs in ways that render cleaning difficult, and causing noise nuisance.

Penalty points will be raised from seven to 15 for another four types of misdeed, namely dumping or disposing of decoration debris indiscriminately at refuse collection points, within buildings or in other public areas, causing damage to pipes that results in leakage in the flat below, damaging or stealing HA property, and using leased premises for illegal purposes.

Additionally, the warning system will no longer be applicable in relation to damage to pipes.

Meanwhile, the scope of two categories of misdeed will be widened.

Firstly, “refusing repair of leaking pipes or sanitary fittings responsible by the tenant” will be amended to “failure to repair pipes or sanitary fittings for which the tenant is responsible or to rectify unauthorised alterations as demanded by HA”.

Secondly, “illegal hawking of cooked food” will be revised to “illegal hawking of commodities or services; supplying, promoting, soliciting or advertising of commodities or services that is commercial in nature but without HA’s prior approval”.

The HA highlighted that if households in public rental housing or interim housing are allotted 16 points within two years, their tenancy will be terminated. Moreover, such households will be barred from reapplying for public rental housing for five years.