Every year around the end of the academic year, hundreds of RPgs join the rank of those looking for off-campus accommodation, which at times can require substantial amount of time and effort. In view of facilitating students to continue their study and growth at HKUST, the Off-campus Housing Section (OCHS) of the Student Housing and Residential Life Office was established to provide rental information and to assist students to find off-campus housing alternatives.

On 10 May, a talk and sharing session regarding renting off-campus apartments was organized. An experienced real estate agent specializing in the rental of village houses was invited to familiarize students with off-campus accommodation hunting procedures, including lease signings, general rental regulations in Hong Kong, and important things to note upon moving into a new apartment.

In addition, two student representatives, one Year 3 PhD student majoring in Electrical & Computer Engineering, and another Year 1 PhD student majoring in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering were invited to share their personal experiences in searching for off-campus apartments and living off-campus. Participants were delighted to learn from the experiences of the two students and all of them enjoyed a wonderful and fruitful discussion and sharing time.

Following the talk on 10 May, site visits, led by our OCHS Staff Advisor and the real estate agent, to village houses and apartments in Tai Po Tsai were conducted. Participants appeared to be eager to check out the layout of the various apartments shown and obtain information from the agent.

The event turned out to be very successful, being extremely well received by the student community. Full registration was recorded only one day after the online registration was launched. Furthermore, feedback collected from the participants showed that they were able to learn a lot from the event, with an average satisfaction rate of over 90%.

It is worth noticing that OCHS has been successful in helping students to find their apartments, either through the assistance by Staff Advisor or flat viewing activities. Their involvement reflects the new strategic direction of OCHS, which focuses on building an effective and far-ranging network connecting students and fellows in order to help improve the overall housing experience at HKUST. This initiative will be expanded to benefit more HKUST students, particularly new students who are coming to Hong Kong for the first time, in the future.

We look forward to meeting you in the coming activities and building the network with you!

For information regarding off-campus accommodation, please visit our homepage at: http://shrl.ust.hk/eng/detail.php?catid=2&sid=16.