The legislators made the call on Tuesday as they discussed a new government policy under which authorities will relax planning rules for developers to convert offices and hotels into hostels in a pilot scheme to be launched next month, to address the increasing housing demand from non-local university students.

During the discussion, lawmakers raised concerns over the high rents of student hostels, with some being rented at a price close to private residential flats.

“If the government does not regulate rents, and the rents are similar to private residential prices, what is the selling point?” lawmaker Benson Luk Hon-man said.

Lawmaker Kenneth Lau Ip-keung also asked why the authorities would not regulate rents. “Applicants [developers of student hostels] will benefit from the scheme launched by the government and save planning costs when converting hotels into student hostels,” he said.

Fellow lawmaker Dennis Leung Tsz-wing also urged the government to regulate rental levels.