The Housing Authority's Subsidised Housing Committee has approved the monthly rent level for 17,314 flats in eight new public rental housing estates.

The Authority said it made reference to the median rent-to-income ratio of 15％ and 18.5％ of the prospective tenants at the minimum space allocation standard of 5.5 square metres and 7 square metres internal floor area per person to ensure tenants' affordability.

Other factors taken into consideration include comparable estate values, location, transportation, management and maintenance costs, trends in household incomes and the state of the authority's finances.

Rent levels set within tenants' affordability

The authority stressed the rent levels are within the prospective tenants' affordability and flats of cheaper rents are always available for selection.

Public housing rents - inclusive of rates, management and maintenance costs - are inadequate to fully cover all operating expenses and thus are subsidised rents.

The district best-rent levels for fixing rents of new estates, ranging from $36.4 per square metres for the Islands District to $63.4 per square metres for the Urban District, have remain unchanged since 1997.

Of the eight new estates, four have been completed and four will be completed later this year. The flats include:

* 9,820 flats in 25 New Cruciform Blocks transferred from Home Ownership Scheme projects;

* 3,528 flats in four non-standard blocks converted from Interim Housing; and

* 3,966 flats in four New Harmony Blocks built to rental standard.

New Cruciform Blocks rents 10％ higher than district best rents

The New Cruciform Blocks have a higher standard of finishes and facilities as compared with normal New Harmony rental blocks, such as living room partitions, kitchen cupboards and a generally lower density of development with fewer numbers of flats per floor.

Rents for these blocks will be set at 10% above the district best rents.

Monthly rents for the New Cruciform blocks in Yau Lai Estate Phase I; Hoi Lai Estate Phase 1; Hoi Lai Estate Phase 2; Ko Cheung Court Phase 5; Yau Mei Court Phase 3; and Lam Tin Phase 6 will be $69.7 per square metres.

To reflect the slightly lower standard of fittings and finishes at Public Rental Housing blocks converted from Interim Housing, monthly rents for the four non-standard blocks at Tin Yan Estate Phase 1 will be fixed at 95％ of the current best-rent level of Tin Shui Wai District, at $40.1 per square metres.

In line with established practice, monthly rents for purpose-built Public Rental Housing blocks will be set at the current best-rent level of the district.

Rents for the two New Harmony Blocks at Lei Muk Shue Estate Phase 3 and another two New Harmony Blocks at Kwai Chung Estate Phase 4 will be $61.2 per square metres.