Residential Care Home for the Elderly in Hong Kong
A residential care home for the elderly in Hong Kong is premises at which more than 5 persons aged 60 or over are habitually received for care while resident there. Homes are licensed and inspected by the Social Welfare Department under the Residential Care Homes (Elderly Persons) Ordinance (Cap. 459).
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A residential care home for the elderly needs a licence, a certificate of exemption or a certificate of registration. Generated illustration. No real person is depicted.
On this page
- What a residential care home for the elderly is in Hong Kong law
- Who licenses and inspects residential care homes in Hong Kong
- How to read the licence register and the department's search tool
- Licence types and care levels on offer
- Staffing and safety requirements in the Code of Practice
- What fees mean and what must be in writing before signing
- Common questions
What a residential care home for the elderly is in Hong Kong law
A residential care home for the elderly (RCHE) is defined in section 2(1) of the Residential Care Homes (Elderly Persons) Ordinance (Cap. 459) as any premises at which more than 5 persons aged 60 or over are habitually received for care while resident there.
Section 3 excludes homes run by the Government or the Housing Authority and premises used only for medical treatment.
The Ordinance commenced on 1 April 1995 and came into full implementation on 1 June 1996. The rules sit in the Ordinance, the Residential Care Homes (Elderly Persons) Regulation (Cap. 459 sub. leg. A), and the Code of Practice for Residential Care Homes (Elderly Persons) issued under section 22 of the Ordinance.
Who licenses and inspects residential care homes in Hong Kong
The Director of Social Welfare administers the licensing system. Day to day work sits with the Licensing Office of Residential Care Homes for the Elderly (LORCHE), which decides applications, renewals and the type of each home.
Section 6 makes it an offence to operate, keep, manage or otherwise have control of a residential care home while no licence is in force. The maximum penalty is a fine of $1,000,000, two years' imprisonment, and $10,000 for each further day.
The Residential Care Homes Legislation (Miscellaneous Amendments) Ordinance 2023, gazetted on 16 June 2023, added the responsible person and the registered home manager and registered health worker.
The Director may also order remedial measures under section 19, order premises to cease being a home under section 20, or cancel, suspend or refuse to renew a licence. The Department publishes conviction records for the recent 24 months and warning records for the recent 12 months.
The search for residential care services finds homes by place and service, while the licence register confirms what a named home may do. Agetide explains how the Community Care Service Voucher Scheme works and lists home care agencies.
- Select a district, from the 18 districts to Guangdong Province.
- Pick the type of home: subvented, contract, self-financing or private, or a home in Guangdong.
- Filter by care level: hostel for the elderly, home for the aged, care and attention or nursing home places.
- Set a monthly basic fee range, then narrow by scheme or service quality.
- Open a home's page: each result shows the name, address, telephone number and monthly basic fee range.
- Check Licensing-related Information of RCHEs, where licences sit in four lists, from subsidised places to private homes.
- Read the licence: it records the LORCHE and licence numbers, the home name and address, the maximum number of persons and the operator.
Licence types and care levels on offer
The Regulation sets four types of home by the care a resident needs, and section 22 sets the minimum floor space for each.
| Type of home | Residents it is for | Floor space per resident |
|---|
| Nursing home | Aged 60 or over, needing personal care and a high degree of professional nursing care, but not continuous medical supervision | 9.5 m2 |
| Care and attention home | Aged 60 or over, generally weak in health and needing personal care, but not a high degree of nursing care | 9.5 m2 |
| Aged home | Aged 60 or over, able to observe personal hygiene but with difficulty in cleaning, cooking, laundering and shopping | 8 m2 |
| Self-care hostel | Aged 60 or over, able to observe personal hygiene and household duties | 8 m2 |
A home taking self-care, aged home and care and attention residents is classified as an aged home or a care and attention home, becoming a care and attention home once 30% or more need care and attention. Homes outside Hong Kong sit under the Residential Care Services Scheme in Guangdong; memory care placements follow their own guidance.
Staffing and safety requirements in the Code of Practice
The operator of a home other than a nursing home must employ a home manager and meet the minimum staffing in Schedule 1 to the Regulation, written as cover per number of residents. The specified period runs from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., and nursing homes follow a separate Code of Practice.
| Cover a care and attention home needs | Minimum staffing |
|---|
| 13 hours in the specified period | 1 health worker on site and on duty for every 30 residents, with 1 nurse counting as 2 |
| 10 hours in the specified period | 1 care worker on duty for every 20 residents |
| Any other time | 1 care worker on duty for every 40 residents |
| 11 hours in the specified period | 1 ancillary worker on duty for every 40 residents |
| 6 p.m. to 7 a.m. | 2 staff members on duty |
| Any time a resident is present | 1 staff member on site and on duty |
An aged home needs 6 hours of nurse cover, or 1 health worker for every 60 residents, and 11 hours of 1 care worker or ancillary worker for every 30 residents; a self-care hostel needs 11 hours of 1 care worker or ancillary worker for every 60 residents. At least 1 staff member must hold a first aid certificate.
A home must not be in an industrial building or directly above or below a godown, cinema, theatre or risky trade. Means of escape must not be obstructed and exit doors must be openable from the inside without a key.
What fees mean and what must be in writing before signing
The two kinds of fee level
Fees payable to the Director come from Schedule 3 to the Regulation: $345 to register as a registered home manager and $235 to renew, $245 to register as a registered health worker and $190 to renew, and no fee for a licence itself. The monthly basic fee a home charges is private, and the Department publishes a range for each.
Where the Government has bought places, the scheme sets the level: under the Enhanced Bought Place Scheme, run since 1998, an EA1 place has a monthly fee of $1,763.
Pre-signing checklist
The Code of Practice names what a home must give a resident or family member at admission.
- The licence, displayed in a prominent place, stating the type of home, the maximum number of persons and the operator; a change of name, address, type, capacity or operator requires a new licence application.
- A medical examination by a registered medical practitioner before admission, or within 3 calendar days after it in urgent cases.
- An admission agreement with the rules, the duties of both parties and the precise amounts of each chargeable item.
- An exact monthly home fee and exact amounts per item; a fee equal to the CSSA payment is prohibited.
- The deposit, the payment deadline, fees during long hospitalisation, and the refund arrangement on discharge.
- Written consent for possessions held by the home, for restraint, and for handling personal financial matters.
- Written notice of a fee increase at least 30 days before it takes effect, an official receipt on payment, and 3 months' notice to LORCHE before the home closes.
Common questions
Is every residential care home in Hong Kong licensed?
Yes. Section 6 requires a person who operates, keeps, manages or otherwise has control of a residential care home to hold a licence in force at the time. Operating without one carries a maximum fine of $1,000,000 and two years' imprisonment.
What is the difference between a care and attention home and a nursing home?
A care and attention home takes people aged 60 or over who are generally weak in health and need personal care and attention but not a high degree of nursing care. A nursing home takes people who need a high degree of professional nursing care.
Can a residential care home raise the fees it charges?
The Code of Practice requires a home to inform affected residents and their guardians, guarantors, family members or relatives in writing of a proposed increase at least 30 days before it takes effect, and only after both sides sign. The admission agreement must state the arrangement for fee adjustment.
Topics
- residential care
- elderly care
- licensing
- hong kong
- social welfare department
- care homes
Related on Agetide
Related guides
Sources
- Social Welfare Department, Hong Kong SAR. Licensing Scheme for Residential Care Homes for the Elderly: Related Ordinance, Regulation, Code of Practice and Reference Materials, Licensing Scheme for Residential Care Homes for the Elderly. https://www.swd.gov.hk/en/pubsvc/lr/rche/rche_orcopref. Published: 2026. Accessed: 2026-10-14.
- Social Welfare Department, Hong Kong SAR. Code of Practice for Residential Care Homes (Elderly Persons), June 2024 (Revised Edition), Chapters 1 to 12 and Annexes 3.5 and 8.1. https://www.swd.gov.hk/storage/asset/section/417/CoP%20for%20RCHEs_Full%20Text_20260616.pdf. Published: 2024, updated June 2026. Accessed: 2026-10-14.
- Social Welfare Department, Hong Kong SAR. Licensing-related Information of RCHEs, Licences of Residential Care Homes. https://www.swd.gov.hk/en/pubsvc/lr/rche/rche_info/. Published: 2026. Accessed: 2026-10-14.
- Social Welfare Department, Hong Kong SAR. Licences of Private Homes, Licensing-related Information of RCHEs. https://www.swd.gov.hk/en/pubsvc/lr/rche/rche_info/licprihome/index.html. Published: 2026. Accessed: 2026-10-14.
- Social Welfare Department, Hong Kong SAR. Conviction Records of RCHEs in Recent 24 Months, Licensing-related Information of RCHEs. https://www.swd.gov.hk/en/pubsvc/lr/rche/rche_info/rche_conviction/index.html. Published: 2026. Accessed: 2026-10-14.
- Social Welfare Department, Hong Kong SAR. Search for Residential Care Services, SWD Elderly Information Website. https://www.elderlyinfo.swd.gov.hk/en/ltc_search/rcs. Published: 2026. Accessed: 2026-10-14.
- Social Welfare Department, Hong Kong SAR. Residential Care Homes of Enhanced Bought Place Scheme, Nature of Services and Monthly Fee. https://www.swd.gov.hk/en/pubsvc/elderly/cat_residentcare/subrcheplace/enhancedbo/index.html. Published: 2026. Accessed: 2026-10-14.
- Legislative Council of the Hong Kong SAR. Residential Care Homes Legislation (Miscellaneous Amendments) Ordinance 2023 (Ord. No. 12 of 2023), Parts 2 and 3 and Schedules 1, 2 and 3. https://www.legco.gov.hk/yr2023/english/ord/2023ord012-e.pdf. Published: 2023. Accessed: 2026-10-14.
Written and edited by the desk collective The Longlight Desk. No individual is named as the author. Agetide editorial standards.
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