Application for Sale of Home Ownership Scheme Flats 2020 and White Form Secondary Market Scheme 2020 to commence from September 10 (with photos)

     The Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA) announced today (September 2) that Sale of Home Ownership Scheme (HOS) Flats 2020 (HOS 2020) and White Form Secondary Market Scheme (WSM) 2020 (WSM 2020) will be open for applications from September 10 to October 7.
 
     A total of 7 047 flats in four new HOS developments, namely Kai Cheung Court in Diamond Hill, Choi Wo Court in Sha Tin, Kam Chun Court in Ma On Shan and Shan Lai Court in Fanling will be offered for sale.
 
     "Rescinded flats arising from cancellation of the Agreements for Sale and Purchase from two HOS developments (Hoi Lok Court and Yu Tai Court) under HOS 2018 and five developments (Hoi Tak Court, Kam Fai Court, Sheung Man Court, Yuk Wo Court and Yung Ming Court) under HOS 2019, if any, identified up to about one month before the commencement of flat selection will be included for resale in this sale exercise," a spokesman for the HA said.
 
     Application forms and application guides for HOS 2020 and WSM 2020, sales booklets of new HOS developments and sales leaflets of resale flats will be available on the designated HA website of the HA for HOS 2020 and WSM 2020 starting from tomorrow (September 3), while printed copies can be collected at the Housing Authority Customer Service Centre (HACSC) in Lok Fu, the office of the HA's Green Form Subsidised Home Ownership Scheme Sales Unit, estate offices and District Tenancy Management Offices of the HA, rental estate offices of the Hong Kong Housing Society (HS) and the Home Affairs Enquiry Centres of the Home Affairs Department starting from September 10.
 
     Application fees are $250 for HOS 2020, $160 for WSM 2020 and $410 for both. White Form applicants may choose to apply for HOS 2020 or WSM 2020 only, or both, using a single application form.
 
     To achieve social distancing under the epidemic, the following precautionary measures and arrangements will be implemented:
 
– the application period will be extended from the usual two weeks to four weeks;
 
– videos of the building models and doll houses produced using the building information modeling technique of the four new HOS developments, as well as project information, Outline Zoning Plans, latest draft of or executed Deeds of Mutual Covenant and aerial photographs of the four new HOS developments and the HOS developments with rescinded flats will be uploaded onto the designated website of the HA for HOS 2020 for public viewing from tomorrow;
 
– the designated website of the HA for HOS 2020 and WSM 2020 will be opened tomorrow so that the public can browse and download application forms, application guides, sales booklets of new HOS developments and sales leaflets of resale flats in advance;
 
– there will be no enquiry service at the HACSC in Lok Fu. Members of the public can call the 24-hour HA Sales and WSM hotline on 2712 8000 for matters relating to applications for HOS 2020 or WSM 2020;
 
– the exhibition area for displaying the building models and doll houses at HACSC in Lok Fu will be temporarily closed. The HA will endeavor to open them for public viewing before the flat selection period if circumstances allow;
 
– drop-in boxes will be provided at the HACSC in Lok Fu for collection of completed application forms; and
 
– other precautionary measures such as controlling the flow of people, mandatory body temperature checks and wearing of masks will be put in place at HACSC in Lok Fu.
 
     "Members of the public are encouraged to browse the websites for HOS 2020 (www.housingauthority.gov.hk/hos/2020) and for WSM 2020 (www.housingauthority.gov.hk/wsm/2020)," the spokesman said.
 
     "While applicants may choose either to submit paper-based application forms by post or by hand (locations that accept submission of completed paper-based application forms are listed in the application guides) or to submit online applications for HOS 2020 and WSM 2020, applicants are strongly encouraged to submit online applications."    
 
     Each person can only be listed in one application form for the same scheme (whether for paper-based or online application), otherwise the applications will be regarded as duplicates. Any case of duplicate application will render all applications null and void, and the application fee paid is non-refundable and non-transferrable under all circumstances. Details are set out in the application guides.
 
     "Similar to HOS 2019, for Green Form (GF) applicants who are living in the public rental housing estates of the HA or the rental estates of the HS and submit online applications, their respective estate offices will contact them to verify their household information after receiving their online applications. The estate offices concerned will prepare hard copies of the application forms and the applicants and all family members aged 18 or above will have to sign the application forms and return them to their respective estate offices for further processing," the spokesman said.
 
     The carry-over application arrangement will continue in HOS 2020 under which GF applicants may indicate their consent on their HOS application forms to carry over their applications to the next Subsidised Sale Flats (SSF) exercise without having to submit a separate application and pay the application fee for that next SSF sale exercise. However, if the applicant later wishes to apply for the next SSF sale exercise in a household category different from that for this HOS application which may affect his/her priority for flat selection, he or she is required to inform the HA during the stipulated application period of the next SSF sale exercise. Moreover, for applicants who have successfully purchased an HOS flat in the current sale exercise, their carry-over applications will be cancelled immediately.
 
     "The application period will run from 8am on September 10 until 7pm on October 7. Applications submitted before or after the application period will not be accepted," the spokesman said.
 
     Balloting exercises are expected to be held in January 2021 for HOS 2020 and WSM 2020 separately. For HOS 2020, it is expected that eligible applicants will be invited for flat selections starting from June 2021 according to their priority order of the application category. For WSM 2020, the HA expects approval letters to eligible applicants will be issued from June 2021.
 
     Sales brochures with detailed information and price lists of the new developments and rescinded flats will be made available for collection by the public at the HACSC in Lok Fu and viewing at the designated websites for the respective HOS developments seven days before commencement of flat selections for this sale exercise.