The scope of the Marking Scheme for Tenancy Enforcement in Public Housing Estates will be expanded to cover accumulation of stagnant water and dripping laundry.

Tenants who allow stagnant water to accumulate will get  five penalty points. Those who have dripping laundry will get three.

Using public housing flats as illegal food factories or for storage will see an increase in penalty points, from five to seven.

These new measures will take effect from January 1 next year following endorsement by the Subsidised Housing Committee of the Housing Authority at a meeting today.

At the end of October, 2,707 public housing households had been allotted penalty points under the marking scheme which has been in place for more than a year. 

Of them, only 53 households or about 2% of the total households, had accumulated 10 points or more due to two or more misdeeds.

Tenants evicted after 16 penalty points allotted

A "Notice To Quit" for terminating the tenancy has been served on a household that was allotted more than 16 penalty points.

Judging from tenants' feedback and regular surveys on satisfaction over estate cleanliness, the scheme has proved effective in promoting tenants' sense of responsibility for the environmental hygiene of their public housing estates, Chairman of the Subsidised Housing Committee Ng Shui-lai said.

Warnings to be reduced to streamline enforcement

To streamline the enforcement procedures, Mr Ng said that the number of warnings will be reduced to one verbal and one written warning.