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Three new hygiene-related misdeeds of the "Marking Scheme for Estate Management Enforcement in Public Housing Estates" will take effect tomorrow (January 1).
The new misdeeds are:-
(a) causing noise nuisance (5 points)
(b) damaging or stealing Housing Authority's property (7 points); and
(c) smoking or carrying a lit cigarette in enclosed common areas including public lifts, lift lobbies, corridors and staircases, etc, in a domestic building (5 points).
A spokesman for the Housing Department said that apart from these misdeeds, three more adjustments of penalty to fine-tune the scheme would also take effect on January 1.
The adjustments are:-
(a) demerit points for accumulating a large quantity of refuse or waste inside leased premises, creating offensive smell and hygienic nuisance will be increased from five to seven penalty points;
(b) extending the issue of Notice-to-Quit (NTQ) to terminate the tenancies of those households that have thrown objects from height that are prone to cause injury or death by invoking Section 19 (1)(b) of the Housing Ordinance; and
(c) the warning mechanism should be further simplified to one written warning only.
Members of the Housing Authority's Subsidised Housing Committee endorsed in October this year to include the three new misdeeds in the Marking Scheme and introduce three adjustments of penalty to fine-tune the scheme.
The spokesman reminded public housing tenants to maintain good personal hygiene habits and keep their homes and the estates clean.
He said a tenancy would be liable to termination when 16 points had been recorded within two years.
Since the implementation of the Marking Scheme in August, 2003, sustained improvement in environmental hygiene of public housing estates had been achieved. The Public Housing Recurrent Surveys showed that tenants﷿ satisfaction over estate cleanliness had increased from 52.1% in 2003 to 68.6% in 2006.
As at December 28, 2006, 5,478 households had been allotted points. Of them, 183 households or 3.3% have accumulated 10 points or more due to two or more misdeeds.
So far, eight households have accrued 16 or more penalty points. One household surrendered the flat voluntarily. The remaining seven households were served with NTQs.
Of the households served with NTQs, one household surrendered the flat without appeal. The remaining six households appealed to the Appeal Panel (Housing). Two NTQs had been amended by the Appeal Panel and subsequently cancelled after a period of good behaviour. Another two NTQ cases were confirmed. Two cases were arranged for hearing before the Appeal Panel. Four flats were recovered.
Ends/Sunday, December 31, 2006
Issued at HKT 11:02
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