2025-02-21 28Hse Editor
The Hong Kong Housing Society has launched its fifth government-subsidised housing project, Hemma Amber, located at 18 On Hei Street, Kwun Tong. Applications will be accepted from 30 November to 13 December, with a ticket draw scheduled for the first quarter of next year and flat selection for the second quarter.
Hemma Amber will involve two 14-storey towers, involving a total of 422. One- to three-bedroom units will be provided, with two-bedroom units accounting for 80 per cent of the development. Each unit measures 303 to 658 square feet, and features a balcony. The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2025.
To provide high-quality and affordable housing, the units for sale are fitted with floor tiles and standard appliances such as kitchen cabinets, stoves, air conditions, range hoods, and water heaters.
The development offers a clubhouse with a fitness room, reading room, multi-purpose room, games room and children's playroom. Management fees are about HK$4 per square foot, which is similar to that of other private residential flats. In addition, the project provides 34 car parking spaces, excluding visitor parking spaces.
Hemma Amber units will be sold at a 32% discount off the market price, with prices ranging from around HK$2.55 million to HK$6.46 million, at HK$8,212 to HK$9,812 per square foot. The final discount rate will be based on the market value at the time of signing of the Provisional Agreement for Sale and Purchase by the buyer. In addition, the Hong Kong Housing Society has signed agreements with 16 banks and authorized financial institutions to provide mortgage loan guarantees, allowing buyers to obtain mortgage loans of up to 90% of the property value.
Whenever new subsidised housing flats come on the market, many express concerns about the application requirements for Green Form (White Form) applicants. Who is eligible for the scheme? The eligibility criteria are similar to those of the Home Ownership Scheme (HOS) of the Housing Authority (HA). There are both White Form and Green Form applications.
Public Rental Housing (PRH) tenants can apply as Green Form applicants with no income and asset limits. Non-PRH tenants can apply as White Form applicants, with a monthly income limit of HK$62,000 and an asset limit of HK$1.47 million for families with two or more members, while the monthly income limit and asset limit for one-person applicants are HK$31,000 and HK$735,000 respectively.
As for applicant quotas, Green Form applicants account for 40% and White Form for 60%. Meanwhile, 20% of the quota is reserved for one-person applicants, with the green form and the white form each accounting for 10%. As some PRH estates under the HKHS have been included in the redevelopment plan, including Kwun Tong Garden Estate (Phase II), Yue Kwong Chuen, and Ming Wah Dai Ha in Shau Kei Wan, eligible affected residents will be given priority to subscribe for the flats under the quota. There is a total of 85 flats available.
It’s worth noting that apart from the 85 reserved flats, Hemma Amber does not have a priority order for group flat selection and does not follow the HA's " Families with Newborns Flat Selection Priority Scheme”. The HKHS invites 10 applicants, including three Green Form (GF) family applicants, one Green Form (1-person) applicant, five White Form (WF) family applicants and one White Form (1-person) applicant, to select flats, provided that the one-person applicant can only choose between 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom flats.
Like other subsidised housing projects, the project is subject to transfer restrictions. The buyer cannot freely transfer the property in the open market within 15 years from the date of completion. After 15 years, the buyer can pay the land premium for free transfer or lease. In addition, buyers can resell the unit to an eligible buyer certified by the Housing Society within 5 years of purchasing the unit, but they cannot sell it at a higher price than the original price.
If you are interested in applying, you may first visit the project’s show flat at Tone King Building in Cheung Sha Wan. This is a two-bedroom flat measuring 435 square feet on the eighth floor of Block 1B. White Form applicants can apply in person at the HKHS Application Unit, by post or online, while Green Form applicants must submit their applications through their respective housing estate offices.
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