Latest news with #studenthostels
South China Morning Post
24-06-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Call for regulated rents in Hong Kong student hostels ahead of relaxed planning rules
Hong Kong lawmakers have urged authorities to regulate university hostel rents as more office buildings and hotels are set to be converted into student accommodation, with the Post finding market rates for some are four times higher than for campus dormitories. Advertisement The legislators made the call on Tuesday as they discussed a new government policy under which authorities will relax planning rules for developers to convert offices and hotels into hostels in a pilot scheme to be launched next month, to address the increasing housing demand from non-local university students. During the discussion, lawmakers raised concerns over the high rents of student hostels, with some being rented at a price close to private residential flats. 'If the government does not regulate rents, and the rents are similar to private residential prices, what is the selling point?' lawmaker Benson Luk Hon-man said. Lawmaker Kenneth Lau Ip-keung also asked why the authorities would not regulate rents. 'Applicants [developers of student hostels] will benefit from the scheme launched by the government and save planning costs when converting hotels into student hostels,' he said. Advertisement Fellow lawmaker Dennis Leung Tsz-wing also urged the government to regulate rental levels.
South China Morning Post
23-06-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Hotel-to-student hostel conversions won't hurt tourist capacity: Hong Kong official
Hong Kong's move to repurpose excess office and hotel spaces to meet the growing housing needs of non-local students will not hurt the city's tourism capacity, a senior official has said, while a leading surveyor has warned of possible hurdles. Advertisement Doris Ho Pui-ling, permanent secretary for development in planning and lands, said on Monday that allowing hotels to be converted would not cannibalise tourist accommodation, adding that the supply of rooms was sufficient. 'We have more than 90,000 hotel rooms in Hong Kong with an occupancy rate of around 80 to 90 per cent, so as we see it now, the quantity should be able to support the development of the tourism industry,' Ho said. 'Ultimately, we will leave the market to decide whether some low-to-mid-priced hotels turn into student hostels.' According to the latest figures from the Tourism Board, the average hotel occupancy rate reached 86 per cent in April. Advertisement On Friday, the Development Bureau announced that it would expand the definition of 'hotels' to include student hostels, waive planning procedures and simplify applications, allowing private operators to build the dormitories on commercial land more easily.
South China Morning Post
20-06-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong considers easing construction rules to tackle student hostel shortage
Hong Kong authorities are considering relaxing regulations for constructing university student hostels in commercial and non-residential areas to address a shortage of student accommodation. This proposal has garnered support from private operators, who now face specific requirements when converting hotels into hostels. The Development Bureau told the South China Morning Post it was considering scrapping or simplifying building procedures required for student hostels on commercial and non-residential sites. 'We are considering allowing student hostels in commercial and more non-residential zonings [to proceed] without the need for planning approval or, even if planning approval is required, only a simple planning procedure will be required,' the spokesman said. The bureau said it aimed to encourage the conversion of hotels and other commercial buildings into student hostels on a self-financing and privately funded basis. In his annual policy address last October, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said the government aimed to develop a 'studying in Hong Kong' brand to help turn the city into an international hub for post-secondary education. But the initiative has faced hurdles resulting from a shortage of student accommodation. Hong Kong's student housing crisis leaves non-locals desperate for flats Figures from the Education Bureau showed that the city's eight publicly funded universities had about 103,400 students in the 2024-25 academic year. The tally included about 76,900 Hongkongers and around 26,500 non-locals in full-time undergraduate and postgraduate research programmes, but excluded about 1,210 in taught postgraduate courses. But the tertiary education institutions only offered about 40,600 dormitory places, according to government figures. In an effort to find accommodation, some students were opting to cram into small flats with their peers to cut costs or even live across the border and commute to classes. The bureau said a pilot scheme would be launched soon to encourage the market to convert more hotels and commercial buildings into student dormitories. Former industrial buildings in non-industrial areas that had been wholesale converted into commercial buildings were intended to be part of the pilot scheme. The government would also identify suitable sites for the private sector to build new hostels, it added. According to property consultancy Knight Frank, the city had 10 private student hostels in Kowloon and on Hong Kong Island as of last year, with about 3,000 beds set aside for those studying at five of the city's universities. Property services company Centaline Investment recently bought and turned a Tsim Sha Tsui hotel near Polytechnic University into a student hostel to capitalise on demand. 'The proposal from the government is a step in the right direction,' company CEO Kavis Ip Ming-wai said, adding that the move could speed up her industry's development. Centaline Investment, a property services company, recently purchased a hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui and transformed it into a student hostel to meet the rising demand. Photo: SCMP She said that some hotel owners were discussing the possibility of converting their venues into student dormitories, while some international industry stakeholders were watching the Hong Kong market and were interested in getting involved. Ip said she believed that if authorities relaxed the rules, it could create momentum and international buzz for the student hostel industry. 'It is just like injecting a booster shot,' she said. She also expressed hopes that authorities could allow non-residential flats to be turned into student hostels without needing hotel licences, which would make the process easier. Another student hostel operator, Lionrock Property, which earlier renovated two residential buildings into dormitories offering about 100 spaces in total, also welcomed the move. But the company encouraged authorities to create a policy road map that involved important stakeholders, including private operators, universities and the relevant government departments. 'The development of student hostels requires long-term planning rather than individual efforts by different parties,' founder and CEO Addie Chan said. She also warned that most industrial buildings in the city were not suitable for conversion into dormitories, as most did not meet students' needs, such as sufficient sunlight. Lawmaker Andrew Lam Siu-lo said even if the government relaxed the rules now, it would take three to four years before the city could address the shortage of student hostels. The Legislative Council is expected to discuss the issue next week.
South China Morning Post
20-06-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong weighs relaxing building rules for university student hostels
Hong Kong authorities are considering relaxing rules for the construction of university student hostels in commercial and non-residential areas to ease a supply shortage. The proposal has attracted support from private operators, who said they currently needed to fulfil certain requirements when transforming hotels into hostels. The Development Bureau told the Post it was considering scrapping or simplifying building procedures required for student hostels on commercial and non-residential sites. 'We are considering allowing student hostels in commercial and more non-residential zonings [to proceed] without the need for planning approval or, even if planning approval is required, only a simple planning procedure will be required,' the spokesman said. The bureau said it aimed to encourage the conversion of hotels and other commercial buildings into student hostels on a self-financing and privately funded basis. In his annual policy address last October, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said the government aimed to develop a 'studying in Hong Kong' brand to help turn the city into an international hub for post-secondary education.
