To support the 'Ageing in Place' policy for seniors, elderly tenants deleted from public-rental-housing tenancies when they are admitted to residential care homes will be guaranteed their return to public housing if the need arises. 

The Housing Authority's Subsidised Housing Committee today agreed that a re-instatement letter would be issued to seniors on request following the deletion of their names from the tenancies.

The move aims to ease their worries of not being able to return to their homes in estates if their health allows them to do so in future.

Since 1999, elderly tenants had to delete their names from their public-rental-housing tenancies within three months of their admission to a care home. Many had refused to do so for fear they could not return.

Seniors who agree to delete their names were recently given a response-period extension from thee months to six, allowing households to sort out their family arrangements and ensure the elderly could adapt to the seniors' home environment.

The Housing Department has also extended the processing period from one month to three months for the deletion from tenancy records of those who have died.