Central Mortgage: Hong Kong recorded 36 cases of elderly mortgages in January, an increase of 20% compared to the previous month, expecting housing prices to be on the rise this year.

According to the data from the Central Plains Mortgage Research Department and the Hong Kong Land Registry, there were 36 registered elderly mortgages in January 2026, with an increase of 6 per month, a growth of 20%; compared to the first month of 2025 (13 cases), it increased by 1.8 times annually. Wang Meifeng, managing director of Central Plains Mortgage, expects that the price of buildings will be on the rise in 2026, which is expected to drive the registration of elderly mortgages this year. Wang Meifeng pointed out that the annual income from elderly mortgages can be calculated based on the property valuation at the time of application, which means that a higher property value usually results in a higher annual income. According to historical statistics, the year with the highest number of registered elderly mortgages was 2017, with a total of 751 cases, followed by 621 cases in 2018, when property prices were on the rise, gradually reaching higher levels. In 2025, a total of 370 elderly mortgages were registered throughout the year, a decrease of 13% compared to 426 in 2024. In terms of market share for elderly mortgages, since the introduction of the elderly mortgage plan, BOC HONG KONG has consistently had the highest participation rate. In January 2026, out of 36 registered elderly mortgages, 35 were undertaken by BOC HONG KONG (02388), with a market share of 97%. The second-ranked bank was Shanghai Commercial Bank, with 1 registered case and a market share of 2.8%. According to data from HKMC Insurance Limited, there were a total of 62 elderly mortgage applications received in January 2026, a decrease of 24% from 82 cases in December 2025. Compared to the same period in 2025, there were 79 cases registered in January 2025, a decrease of 21.5% annually. The elderly mortgage plan was introduced by the Hong Kong Mortgage Corporation Insurance Company in July 2011. According to their statistics, as of January 31, 2026, the plan had received a total of 8,999 applications, with single applications accounting for the highest proportion at 65.6%, followed by double and triple applications at 34.3% and 0.1% respectively. The average age of applicants for elderly mortgages is around 69 years old, with the average property value being 5.5 million Hong Kong dollars for five consecutive months (ranging from 230,000 to 83 million Hong Kong dollars), the lowest since October 2020. The average monthly pension amount is 15,800 Hong Kong dollars (ranging from 0 to 198,000 Hong Kong dollars), the lowest since June 2020, with an average building age of 32 years (ranging from 1 to 71 years). In terms of the choice of annuity period, the option of receiving a lifelong pension is the most popular at 54%, as it provides the maximum guarantee without repayment issues. The second most popular option is the 10-year fixed period application that offers the highest annual pension amount, accounting for 20.7%.