Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said on Tuesday the average waiting time for public rental housing hit a six-year low last year, adding he’s confident the period could be shortened to four-and-half years during his tenure.

He noted that the waiting time had peaked at 6.1 years in March 2022 -- several months before he took office. By late last year, it had dropped to 5.3 years -- a 13-percent decrease, equivalent to shortening the period by nine-and-a-half months.

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Lee said the reduced waiting time can help residents improve their living conditions and pay less rents. For those living in subdivided-units, the shortening of the waiting period by nine-and- a-half months could save about HK$30,000 ($3,856) in rent, he estimated.

He said efforts to achieve another goal of providing 30,000 light public housing units are also progressing smoothly.

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Tenants can start moving into the first phase of 4,400 units on Yau Pok Road, Yuen Long, and on Choi Hing Road, Ngau Tau Kok, this year.

The second phase, providing more than 5,000 units, including those in Olympic Avenue, Kai Tak, Tsing Fuk Lane in Tuen Mun, and two school conversion projects, will start accepting applications next week. Tenants are expected to move in by the fourth quarter of this year at the earliest.

Contact the writer at stephyzhang@chinadailyhk.com