Rooftop homes is another choice for low-income people.

The cubicle dwellings are generally built on the roof of building erected in the 1950s and 1960s. There are usually no elevators in these buildings which prove to be difficult for elderly. Their number is falling because of redevelopment of old buildings. And these people just move from the roof to the street or coffin homes.

Rooftop slums are usually built using cheap metal sheeting and wood. So besides rats and cockroaches, they are suffering from dripping water and threat of typhoons. During the summer they get exceedingly hot, whereas in winter bitterly cold.

Mr. Nguyen, a janitor who has been living in Hong Kong for nearly 30 years, bought a rooftop hut from a previous top- floor owner. It was found later that the roof is common area for the whole building and he has to pay rent to the owners’ corporation. He refuses and now ends up living at the corridor adjacent to the roof entrance.