Details of the Government’s cash subsidy for individual licensees

Under the second round of Anti-epidemic Fund, the Government will provide a one-off cash subsidy to individual licensees of the estate agency trade. In accordance with the eligibility criteria and conditions of the subsidy set by the Government, the Estate Agents Authority (“EAA”) announced the details of the subsidy as below:

Purpose

To provide some timely financial support to individual licensees in the estate agency trade in view of the adverse impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their practice of estate agency work.

Eligible recipients of the subsidy

According to the criteria set by the Government, a one-off cash subsidy will be provided to the following persons:

1. each individual licensee holding a valid licence (i.e. estate agent’s licence (individual) or salesperson’s licence) on 8 April 2020 (i.e. the date on which the Chief Executive announced the measure); and
2. each individual who has submitted an application for an individual licence (i.e. estate agent’s licence (individual) or salesperson’s licence) on or before 8 April 2020 and whose licence is approved by 31 December 2020. The amount of cash subsidy is based on the type of licence that the individual has submitted application for as at 8 April 2020.

Amount of the subsidy

3. The amount of cash subsidy is equal to 24-month licence fee for respective licences:
• HK$2,510 for salesperson’s licence; and
• HK$3,930 for estate agent’s licence (individual).
4. Each eligible individual licensee can only receive the subsidy once. If a person held both a valid estate agent’s licence (individual) and a valid salesperson’s licence on 8 April 2020 (or has submitted licence applications on or before 8 April 2020 and obtain approval of both the estate agent’s licence (individual) and salesperson’s licence by 31 December 2020), the amount of subsidy received shall be the higher one, which is HK$3,930.
5. For cases involving licence applications, the amount of cash subsidy is based on the type of licence that the individual has submitted application for as at 8 April 2020. For example, if a person submitted an application for a salesperson’s licence on or before 8 April 2020, but then changes the type of licence applied for and eventually obtains an estate agent’s licence (individual), he/she will receive the cash subsidy applicable to the salesperson’s licence, i.e. HK$2,510.

Disbursement schedule and arrangements

6. There is no need to submit application for the cash subsidy.
7. EAA will disburse the subsidy by bank cashier’s order by batches according to the numerical order (ascending) of licence numbers. The disbursement schedule is as follows:

8. The subsidy will be disbursed to eligible individual licensees by bank cashier’s orders payable to them and delivered to their registered addresses (as shown on the Register), through ordinary mail. The cashier’s orders are valid for presentation within 6 months from the date of issue.
9. Any undelivered cashier’s order will only be handled after 15 August 2020. Upon verification that the relevant cashier’s order remains unpresented, EAA will reissue the cashier’s order in one to two months’ time.
10. If a cashier’s order (regardless of the date of issue) remains unpresented by 30 June 2021, such cashier’s order and the associated cash subsidy will absolutely lapse on 1 July 2021.

Address update

To reduce the risk of mail loss of the cashier’s order, please update your “Registered Address” as soon as possible, if necessary. The Registered Address can be updated via the EAA’s e-Services or by submitting the completed form of “Notice of Change of Personal Information”, which can be downloaded from the EAA website.

Enquiry

For enquiry, please contact the EAA’s hotline at 2111 2777 or email enquiry@eaa.org.hk