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Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

  1. Target beneficiaries must meet all the following criteria:
      1. renting accommodation on a monthly basis (or for a longer tenure) in private permanent housing1 (private housing), industrial buildings or commercial buildings; or
      2. renting social housing2 operated by NGOs; or
      3. renting bedspaces offered under the Home Affairs Department's (HAD) Singleton Hostel Programme, or bedspaces in hostels operated by NGOs for rehabilitated offenders; or
      4. residing in temporary housing3; or
      5. living on board vessels; or
      6. being homeless persons4;
    2. the average monthly household income in the past three months5 shall not exceed the specified income limit applicable to the relevant household size below:
      Household size (persons) Specified household income limit ($)
      1 15,100
      2 22,000
      3 26,800
      4 33,500
      5 36,900
      6 or above 40,800
    3. for persons renting accommodation in private housing, industrial buildings, commercial buildings or social housing, the average monthly rent paid in the past three months6 shall not exceed the specified rent limit applicable to the relevant household size below：
      Household size (persons) Specified household rent limit ($)
      1 7,550
      2 11,000
      3 13,400
      4 16,750
      5 18,450
      6 or above 20,400
    4. not receiving Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA)7;
    5. neither the applicant nor his/her household members own a property (including jointly owned properties) in Hong Kong;
    6. Hong Kong permanent residents, or holders of Hong Kong Identity Card who do not belong to those persons who have entered Hong Kong not for the purpose of settlement, and/or those who have demonstrated to the satisfaction of the Immigration Department (ImmD) that they have adequate financial means to sustain their living in Hong Kong before they are issued with a visa / entry permit by the ImmD7 and 8; and
    7. if the applicant is renting accommodation in private housing, an industrial building or a commercial building, the rented accommodation must not be a property owned by the father, mother, son, daughter9, husband or wife of the applicant and/or of the applicant's household members.
  2. In calculating the number of household members, the applicant and / or the household members can include the following persons who are not residing with them:
    1. the parents who reside in non-subsidised places of private residential care homes for the elderly; and
    2. the household member(s) who reside in non-subsidised places of private residential care homes for persons with disabilities.
  3. University student hostels are excluded from the housing types under the 2020 Programme. However, if the families of students living in university student hostels are eligible, those students can be included in the number of household members when making an application.
  1. Including all private residential flats, rooms (cubicles / solid-partitioned cubicles), subdivided units, bedspaces / cocklofts, villas / bungalows / modern village houses, simple stone structures / traditional village houses, staff quarters, subsidised sale flats with premium paid (including flats under the Home Ownership Scheme and the Tenants Purchase Scheme), flats under the T-home “Letting Scheme for Subsidised Sale Developments with Premium Unpaid” and Tai Hang Sai Estate.
  2. Social housing refers to transitional social housing projects supported by the relevant bureau(x) and operated by NGOs.
  3. Including Temporary Housing Area units, and private temporary housing such as roof-top structures, squatter structures, licensed structures (i.e. domestic structures licensed by the Lands Department), huts, places not intended for residential purpose (such as landings, staircases, corridors, etc.), contractor’s matsheds and nissen huts.
  4. Homeless persons include:
    1. street sleepers;
    2. persons staying in the following emergency / temporary shelters / hostels / short-term hostels operated by NGOs:
        1. Caritas Hong Kong – Caritas Hung Hom Hostel;
        2. Sham Shui Po Shelter, Yau Ma Tei Shelter and Wan Chai Shelter operated by the Street Sleepers’ Shelter Society Trustees Incorporated;
        3. Yee On Hostel of The Salvation Army;
        4. Home of Abundant Grace, Home of Blessings, Home of Grace, Esther Lodge and Home of Adullam operated by the Christian Concern For The Homeless Association, and Home of Lily operated by the Castle Peak Baptist Church;
        5. Li Chit Street Hostel of the St. James’ Settlement;
        6. Jockey Club Lok Fu Hostel for Single Persons operated by the Neighbourhood Advice-Action Council;
        7. Jockey Club Hostel for Single Persons operated by the Pok Oi Hospital;
        8. Home of Love operated by the Missionaries of Charity; and
    3. persons staying in the Housing Department's Po Tin Transit Centre in Tuen Mun and Lung Tin Transit Centre in Tai O.
  5. The average monthly household income in the past three months refers to the average monthly household income in the three months prior to the submission of an application (i.e. the average of the total monthly income of the applicant and his/her household members), including earnings from employment and other income (including salary, double pay / leave pay, job allowances, bonus/commission/tips, fees for rendering services, profits from business/investment, alimony, contributions from relatives/friends, interest income from fixed deposits, stock, shares, etc., income from rent, monthly pension / widow's and children's compensation). Employee's mandatory contributions to a Mandatory Provident Fund scheme made by the applicant and his/her household members, financial assistance provided by the Government, charitable donations, assistance from other assistance programmes under the CCF, etc. are however not included. When calculating the monthly household income, applicants can refer to the monthly average amount of two irregular income items (i.e. double pay and bonus) accumulated over the respective period of time.
  6. It refers to the average monthly rent paid in the three months prior to the submission of an application (calculated according to the amount shown on the rent receipt, but excluding management fees, rates, utility charges for water, electricity and gas, etc.).
  7. In case one/more household member(s) of the applicant household does/do not meet this criterion, the application will still be processed. However, this/these person(s) will be excluded for the purpose of calculating the number of household members, income, rent and subsidy amount.
  8. According to the latest information provided by the ImmD, the persons concerned include:
    1. persons admitted into Hong Kong under the Capital Investment Entrant Scheme and their dependants;
    2. persons admitted into Hong Kong under the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme and their dependants;
    3. persons admitted into Hong Kong for employment as imported workers under the Supplementary Labour Scheme;
    4. persons admitted into Hong Kong under the Working Holiday Scheme;
    5. foreign domestic helpers;
    6. visitors; or
    7. persons admitted into Hong Kong under the following immigration policies/arrangements and their dependants:
      1. training;
      2. study;
      3. employment under the General Employment Policy;
      4. investment under the General Employment Policy (i.e. establishing or joining in a business);
      5. the Admission Scheme for Mainland Talents and Professionals;
      6. the Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates;
      7. the Admission Scheme for the Second Generation of Chinese Hong Kong Permanent Residents; or
      8. the Technology Talent Admission Scheme.
  9. Including legally recognised adoptive parents / children and those illegitimate children.