Housing Society Head Mulls Bigger HOS Discount

"); jQuery("#212 h3").html("

"); jQuery(document).ready(function() { jwplayer.key='EKOtdBrvhiKxeOU807UIF56TaHWapYjKnFiG7ipl3gw='; var playerInstance = jwplayer("jquery_jwplayer_1"); playerInstance.setup({ file: "http://newsstatic.rthk.hk/audios/mfile_1392818_1_20180424121726.mp3", skin: { url: location.href.split('/', 4).join('/') + '/jwplayer/skin/rthk/five.css', name: 'five' }, hlshtml: true, width: "100%", height: 30, wmode: 'transparent', primary: navigator.userAgent.indexOf("Trident")>-1 ? "flash" : "html5", events: { onPlay: function(event) { dcsMultiTrack('DCS.dcsuri', 'http://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1392818-20180424.mp3', 'WT.ti', ' Audio at newsfeed', 'WT.cg_n', '#rthknews', 'WT.cg_s', 'Multimedia','WT.es','http://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1392818-20180424.htm', 'DCS.dcsqry', '' ); } } }); }); });

2018-04-24 HKT 12:17

Share this story

• 

  Chairman of the Housing Society says the discount is linked to a basket of data and not just the market price. Photo: RTHK

Marco Wu talks to RTHK's Janice Wong

The chairman of the Housing Society said on Tuesday that there could be greater discounts on Home Ownership Scheme (HOS) flats in the future as property prices in Hong Kong continue to rise.

Prices for HOS flats are currently set at a 30 percent discount on the market price. But Marco Wu said there was no fixed rate, as over the past 40 years the discounts have varied from 20 to more than 40 percent.

He said the discount is linked to a basket of data. It is related to affordability and also links factors such as mortgage rates.

"At this time the mortgage rate is almost [at an] all-time low. So that would also be an important factor affecting the affordability," he said.

Wu told RTHK's Janice Wong that high home prices are not the only factor determining the discount rate.