Dongguan in Guangdong province has extended public rental housing coverage to non-registered migrant workers, accumulating 22,700 government-built units by the time of reporting, with housing available across 20 townships and zones in the city.
In the Songshan Lake High-tech Industrial Development Zone, the zone's management committee has built five public rental housing compounds in phases, totaling approximately 11,900 units. According to the report, the Songhu Xingfu Huayuan compound, put into use in 2018, has an occupancy rate exceeding 90%.
As introduced by the Urban Construction Bureau of the Songshan Lake High-tech Zone Management Committee, employees applying for public rental housing must have a labor contract of at least one year with an employer registered in the zone, and pay social insurance in Dongguan or declare personal income tax within the zone. Applicants and their spouses and children must have no self-owned housing in Dongguan, and must not simultaneously rent other indemnificatory housing or company dormitories. Employers submit applications online through the zone's public rental housing management system; after online approval and public notice, employees can sign contracts and move in.
An example is a 28-year-old worker surnamed Xie from Jiangxi, who came to Songshan Lake High-tech Zone in July 2024 for a job. Upon learning that non-registered people could apply for public rental housing, she decided to stay. After being hired, her company assisted with the online application, and in less than a month she moved into the Songhu Xingfu Huayuan compound. Her one-bedroom apartment is about 50 square meters, with monthly rent and property fees totaling just over 500 yuan.
The compound offers various apartment types including studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom units, with nearby bus stops, a metro station, and commercial facilities. The operation and maintenance of public rental housing is handled by Dongguan Songshan Lake Anju Service Co., Ltd., a state-owned enterprise under the zone. The company manages leasing, repairs, and daily upkeep, and has added children's play facilities and sports areas in the building's open floors to improve living experience.
A relevant official from the Dongguan Housing and Urban-Rural Development Bureau said the city has optimized security policies and expanded monetary subsidy coverage. Deputy Secretary-General of the Dongguan Municipal Government and Director of the Municipal Development and Reform Bureau Ye Huiming pointed out that given the large, mobile, and high-housing-demand migrant population, Dongguan will dynamically adjust public services such as housing security to allow those who settle down to live well and equally enjoy the dividends of urban development.
Since 2014, building on the full coverage of local registered needy groups, Dongguan has used surplus public rental housing stock to newly cover homeless newly employed workers and stably employed migrant workers.