Zhongyuan Real Estate: In April, the Zhongyuan City Rent Index (CRI) rose by 0.26% month-on-month, hitting a new high for the third consecutive month.

Yang Mingyi, Senior Joint Director of the Research Department of Centaline Property, pointed out that in April 2026, the latest Centaline Rental Index (CRI) for cities was 131.61 points, up 0.26% monthly, a total increase of 1.92% over five consecutive months. The index has hit a new high for three consecutive months, surpassing the previous high of 131.27 points in March, marking the sixth time in nearly ten months. This indicates that rental prices are continuously rising due to demand from users and a shortage of rental properties. Cases of pre-rental by non-local students have begun to appear, and with the arrival of the peak summer season in the third quarter, new demand will be brought to the rental market, further benefiting private residential rental prices, with the CRI expected to test the level of 136 points in the third quarter. The Centaline City Large Housing Estate Rental Index, CRI_Mass, was 137.76 points, up 0.41% monthly. CRI (small and medium-sized units) was 134.02 points, up 0.37% monthly. Both CRI_Mass and CRI (small and medium-sized units) have risen for five consecutive months, accumulating increases of 1.94% and 1.86% respectively, both hitting new highs for three consecutive months. CRI (large units) was 115.43 points, down 0.43% monthly. After hitting a new high last month, the index softened but still remained the second-highest in history. Rental prices in the four districts saw three increases and one decrease. The CRI_Mass for Hong Kong Island was 128.19 points, up 0.93% monthly, a total increase of 3.03% over four consecutive months, with two consecutive months of hitting new highs and breaking the previous high of 127.01 points in March. The CRI_Mass for Kowloon was 124.48 points, up 0.70% monthly, a total increase of 2.40% over two consecutive months, hitting a new high and surpassing the previous high of 123.66 points in September 2025. The CRI_Mass for the West New Territories was 159.14 points, up 0.84% monthly, reaching the fourth highest level in history. The CRI_Mass for the East New Territories was 156.51 points, down 1.39% monthly, falling after three consecutive months of increase, but still the fifth highest in history. In the first four months of 2026, the CRI rose by 1.56%, CRI_Mass rose by 1.92%, CRI (small and medium-sized units) rose by 1.74%, CRI (large units) rose by 0.39%, CRI_Mass for Hong Kong Island rose by 3.03%, CRI_Mass for Kowloon rose by 2.97%, CRI_Mass for the East New Territories rose by 0.55%, and CRI_Mass for the West New Territories rose by 0.32%. Among the 121 large constituent housing estates in the CRI, 79 (or 65.3%) recorded an annual increase in the three-month moving average real rent per square foot in the first four months of 2026. There were 24 estates in Kowloon, 19 in the East New Territories, and 18 each in Hong Kong Island and the West New Territories. Fourteen of these showed an increase of over 5%, all of which were second-line estates. The larger increases include: Tai Po Centre by 13.46%, The Dynasty by 8.92%, The Harbourside by 8.27%, Valais by 7.97%, and Tsing Fung Court by 6.79%. However, the rental increases in traditional major first-line housing estates were less than 5%: City One Shatin by 4.13%, Mei Foo Sun Chuen by 3.12%, City One Shatin by 1.35%, and Discovery Bay by 0.53%. As for the 22 luxury housing estates, 10 (or 45.5%) recorded an annual increase in rent in the first four months. Three of these estates saw an increase of over 5%, namely The Coronation by 11.89%, Guildford Gardens by 6.50%, and Hillsborough Court by 6.07%.