6 Critical Dates That
Define Your Compliance Pace

BHU Ordinance Takes Effect

The Ordinance becomes law. Simultaneously, the 12-month registration period opens and landlords may register their subdivided units with the Housing Bureau.

• ✓Confirm your unit meets the "subdivided unit" definition (2+ independently rented compartments) and is not an unregulated illegal rooftop/back-lane structure
• ✓Gather title documents and original building plans (if any), and compare current partitioning against the reference plans
• ✓Decide whether to handle registration yourself or engage a consultant/specified professional early
• ✓Start registration paperwork now — application fees are waived ($0) during the registration period

12-Month Registration Period Ends

Landlords who fail to register before this date lose the 36-month grace period protection. This means enforcement applies immediately upon any future registration.

• ✓Verify your registration status: you've received Housing Bureau confirmation, not just submitted an application
• ✓If not yet registered, count actual working days — not calendar days — remaining before the deadline
• ✓Understand the consequence: missing the registration window forfeits grace-period protection, exposing the unit immediately to Section 8 offence risk (s.10(1)(d))
• ✓Keep your registration confirmation email/receipt as future proof

Enforcement Begins

Units without certification and without registration that continue to be rented constitute an offence. Fine up to HKD 300,000 + imprisonment up to 3 years.

• ✓Engage a specified professional to arrange an on-site inspection — the ordinance requires an actual site visit; a documents-only review does not qualify
• ✓Understand what the assessment covers: floor area, ceiling height, fire safety, load-bearing capacity, private toilet facilities, ventilation/lighting, and water/electricity meters
• ✓Start budgeting for renovation early and build a works timeline around the assessment findings (see renovation cost reference)
• ✓Note: from 2029.09.01, landlords may not enter into new tenancy agreements for units without BHU certification (existing tenancies aren't affected, but no new lets can be signed) — ahead of the 2030.03.01 full enforcement date

AP Supply-Demand Imbalance

This phase is expected to see a surge in demand for Authorized Persons (APs) and a shortage of contractors. Prudent landlords should complete assessments and renovation works before this phase.

• ✓Book a specified professional for an on-site assessment early, ahead of the mid-2028 queue surge
• ✓Recognise that contractors will also be in short supply by then, likely extending project timelines
• ✓Understand the real cost of waiting: fewer options, weaker negotiating position, likely higher costs
• ✓If your assessment is already complete, move quickly to lock in a contractor's schedule

36-Month Grace Period Expires

All subdivided flats used for rental must hold a valid BHU certificate. Units without certification will not be permitted to continue renting.

• ✓Confirm your BHU certificate has actually been issued — not just applied for
• ✓Note the validity period runs 60 months from the certification date — not from this deadline (per Cap. 658) — and plan your renewal timeline accordingly
• ✓If works or approval are still in progress as this date approaches, contact your specified professional immediately to confirm status
• ✓Keep copies of all application, approval, and certification documents as compliance records

Full Enforcement Activated

The Housing Bureau may issue mandatory orders to cease renting. Persistent non-compliance results in revocation of certification eligibility and aggravated penalties.

• ✓Understand the consequences have escalated: the Housing Bureau may issue a mandatory stop-renting order, revoke certification eligibility, and impose heavier penalties
• ✓Know that renting in breach remains a Section 8 offence: on indictment, a fine up to HKD 300,000 and up to 3 years' imprisonment, plus a further HKD 20,000 daily fine
• ✓Face the reality: a forced stop-renting order means an immediate loss of rental income — statutory defences should not be relied on as a delay tactic
• ✓If still uncertified, contact a specified professional immediately to identify the fastest path to compliance and minimise losses