Bedspace apartment

A bedspace apartment (Chinese: 牀位寓所), also called cage home (籠屋), coffin cubicle, or coffin home (棺材房), is a type of residence that is only large enough for one loft bed surrounded by a metal cage.[1]: 23  This type of residence originated in Hong Kong, and primarily exists in older urban districts such as Sham Shui Po, Mong Kok, To Kwa Wan, and Tai Kok Tsui. In 2007, there were approximately 53,200 people living in cage homes in Hong Kong.[2]

Generally, the residents are low-income people, including the elderly, drug users, and some low-skilled or unskilled labourers,[3] and people who are physically or mentally ill.[4] Reports from the Legislative Council of Hong Kong found that the people who lived in cage homes were those who did not qualify for social welfare, or subsidised rent or electricity.[5] Most of the residents are male. Safety and other living conditions in bedspace apartments homes are often poor.

While often called cage homes, they are categorised as "bedspace apartments" by the Hong Kong Government. According to the Bedspace Apartment Ordinance, the term "bedspace apartment" refers to a house that contains 12 or more people who rent bedspaces individually. It is legal to run these bedspace apartments, but landlords must first apply for a special license.[6][7]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference HK_2000 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Social Indicators of Hong Kong: Number of persons living in cage housing". Retrieved 31 March 2013.
  3. ^ 隔牆有耳：籠屋體驗 高材生抑鬱 [The wall has ears: the cage house experiences the depression of the top students]. Apple Daily (in Chinese). 16 September 2011. Archived from the original on 23 February 2014. Retrieved 18 December 2021.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  4. ^ Mogul, Rhea (6 December 2017). "Living in Cages: The Stories Behind Hong Kong's Housing Crisis". RICE. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
  5. ^ 籠屋、板房及套房 租住問題研究報告 [Kagoya, Itabo and Kobo Research report on the problem of living] (PDF) (Report) (in Chinese). Hong Kong Community Organization. 2 March 2008. CB(1)971/07-08(01). Retrieved 18 December 2021.
  6. ^ "Bedspace Apartments Ordinance". Archived from the original on 16 May 2018. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
  7. ^ "Bedspace Apartments Ordinance" (PDF).