The Central Plains City Rental Index CRI rose to 130.07 points in January, marking two consecutive months of increase and reaching the second highest level in history

The Senior Co-Director of the Research Department at Centaline Property, Yang Ming-yi, pointed out that in January, the latest Centaline City Rental Index (CRI) reported 130.07 points, an increase of 0.37% month-on-month, reaching the second-highest level in history, just below the high of 130.09 points in October 2025. During the traditional off-peak rental season, rents did not soften but instead rose, with the CRI increasing for two consecutive months by a total of 0.73%. This indicates a continued recovery in the local property market and economy, with strong housing demand, active rental transactions, and tight supply of rental properties supporting rising rents. It is expected that rents will continue to rise steadily in 2026.

The CRI_Mass for large residential estates reported 136.09 points, an increase of 0.69% month-on-month. The CRI for small and medium-sized units reported 132.43 points, an increase of 0.53% month-on-month. Both CRI_Mass and CRI for small and medium-sized units have risen for two months, accumulating increases of 0.70% and 0.65%, respectively, both reaching the second-highest level in history. The CRI for large units reported 114.18 points, a decrease of 0.7% month-on-month, ending a two-month increase. After reaching a historical high last month, the index softened but remains at the second-highest level in history.

Rents across all four districts have risen. The CRI_Mass for New Territories East reported 158.32 points, an increase of 1.71% month-on-month, setting a new historical high, surpassing the high of 156.78 points in November 2025. In the past seven months, rents in New Territories East have reached new highs four times. The CRI_Mass for Kowloon reported 121.56 points, an increase of 0.55%, rising for two consecutive months by a total of 1.35%, marking the fifth-highest level in history. The CRI_Mass for Hong Kong Island reported 125.08 points, an increase of 0.53%, reaching the ninth-highest level in history. The CRI_Mass for New Territories West reported 159.05 points, an increase of 0.26%, rising for two consecutive months by a total of 0.54%, marking the third-highest level in history.

Among the 121 large component estates in the CRI, 67 estates (or 55.4%) recorded a month-on-month increase in the three-month moving average adjusted rent in January. New Territories West accounted for 19 estates, while Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, and New Territories East each accounted for 16 estates. The top five estates with the highest rent increases were Pu Center with an increase of 5.20%, Yu Long Shan with an increase of 4.19%, Jia Hui Xuan with an increase of 3.46%, Die Yin Ting with an increase of 3.37%, and Mei Jing Garden with an increase of 2.86%, all of which are second-tier estates. However, traditional major first-tier estates saw only slight rent increases or even declines, with Tai Koo Shing increasing by 0.84%, Jia Hu Shan Zhuang increasing by 0.04%, Mei Foo Sun Chuen decreasing by 0.26%, and Sha Tin First City decreasing by 0.33%