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1.
Picture of Day
2.
Scheme gives new lease of life to old
flat owners
1. Picture of Day
SCMP,
18 January 2005
2. Scheme gives new lease of life to old flat owners
AGNES
LAM, SCMP 18 January 2005
Owners
of old flats believe the Housing Society's new building management
and maintenance scheme will help improve their living standards.
Ling
Cham, 80, and his 79-year-old wife, Wong Hom, bought their flat
in Apliu Street, Shamshuipo, in 1966 and have lived there since.
They were assigned a new flat in Pak Tin Estate, but had to refuse
it because they could not afford the $1,700 monthly rent.
"I
want to move because my own flat is too broken down and there is
no lift," Mr Ling said. "We live on the fifth floor, but
my wife cannot walk after suffering a stroke. I have respiratory
problems and I find it hard to walk up the stairs.
"But
I had to turn down the offer of the new flat where there is a lift
service, as I now only have to pay $880 in property rates every
quarter for my flat. I cannot afford the monthly rent. Nobody wants
to buy my flat, as it is too old."
That
may change under the $3 billion building management and maintenance
scheme to be launched by the Housing Society. It will provide a
one-stop service, including technical advice, incentives and interest-free
loans, and aims to rehabilitate about 8,000 buildings in the next
10 years.
"It
will cover a wider scope of buildings," a society spokesman
said. "At present, the renewal programme only covers buildings
which are at least 30 years old. But our scheme not only will take
care of older buildings, newer ones will also benefit."
The
starting date and details of the scheme have yet to be announced.
Mr
Ling said he would apply for a loan when the scheme begins. He would
use it to renovate his flat and rent it out so he could make a living
and pay rent for his new flat.
"Once
my flat is renewed, it will be easier for me to rent it out or sell
it. I dare not borrow money from the bank because I will be burdened
with the interest."
Community
organiser Iman Fok Tin-man said a property agency estimated the
couple could make $3,000 to $4,000 a month from renting out their
flat.
She
urged the Housing Society to give priority to elderly owners whose
safety and health were affected by poor living conditions.
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