Waiting times for public housing have been frustratingly long in Hong Kong, where geographical constraints have made the problem worse than in many global cities. There was a welcome sign of improvement earlier this month when the authorities revealed they had hit an important milestone after speeding up construction of subsidised rental homes.

The average wait for long- and short-term general applicants for subsidised public rental housing fell to 4.7 years as of March, according to data released on May 14. It was the first time under the current administration that the average was less than five years.

The authorities deserve credit for the rapid deployment of temporary flats for public rental home applicants who had been waiting for at least three years. Wait times were reduced in part because of the 2022 initiative to ease the shortage.

About 9,500 light public flats were built in 2025 and the government plans to finish another 20,300 units this year. The goal is to provide 30,000 homes by 2027.

Even a few months of relief is significant but a comprehensive solution to the shortage of permanent housing is still needed. Half a decade can be a challenging wait for those needing homes. Temporary flats are welcome, but they cannot offer housing security.

The figures released recently also indicated that the average waiting time for general applicants – defined as family or elderly households – reached 5.6 years over the past 12 months, compared with 5.5 years last September and 5.4 years in June. The average waiting time for single elderly applicants was 3.9 years.