GLOPRAGlobal Property Radar

Hong Kong new homes: 1,531 units cleared for occupation in August 2026

Hong Kong issued occupation permits for 1,531 new homes in August 2026 and cleared another 1,442 to start, while its rental index kept climbing.

The facts

  • The Buildings Department issued 21 occupation permits in August 2026, certifying 138,920 square metres and 1,531 units for domestic use, it reported on 23 October 2026.
  • Consent to start work went to eight projects covering 70,908 square metres and 1,442 units of domestic floor area, plus 24,556 square metres for non-domestic use.
  • Only 10 building plans were approved in the month: five on Hong Kong Island, three in Kowloon, two in the New Territories.
  • The declared cost of the new buildings completed was about HK$7.7 billion, and seven demolition consents were given.
  • The Rating and Valuation Department's private domestic rental index stood at 210.3 for August 2026 against 199.8 for August 2025, and its price index at 320.5 against 288.8 (1999 = 100). The June to August readings are provisional.

What it means for your money

  • 1,531 homes reached occupation and 1,442 were cleared to start. The pipeline is flat, so new supply will neither relieve nor tighten rents.
  • Glopra's data puts Hong Kong at USD 17,515 per square metre, still 19.9% below where it stood five years ago, so a buyer entering today is paying into a market that has not recovered its earlier level while completions keep arriving at this pace.
  • An owner already letting there has the income side moving: the rental index rose from 206.9 in July to 210.3 in August 2026, faster than the price index, which went from 320.3 to 320.5.

What to watch

  • The Rating and Valuation Department's June, July and August 2026 readings are provisional, and a revision changes the comparison.
  • Only 10 building plans were approved in August against 21 occupation permits issued. Plan approval is the earliest of the three stages the department reports.
  • The department's Monthly Supplement carries only a month-level date, "October 2026", and prints index levels without percentage changes.

Sources: Buildings Department https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202610/23/P2026102300228.htm; Rating and Valuation Department https://www.rvd.gov.hk/doc/en/statistics/full.pdf

Market data: Hong Kong