LCQ16: Improving management of building maintenance works
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In 2012, the Government launched the Mandatory Building Inspection Scheme (MBIS). Under the MBIS, private buildings aged 30 years or above may be selected as target buildings, and the owners concerned are required to complete building inspections within a deadline and prescribe repair works upon completion of the inspections. The MBIS aims to uphold the principle of "prevention is better than cure" by tackling the problem of building neglect through inspection and maintenance. In addition, there are views that quite a number of buildings lack proper management, and owners do not have knowledge of works or building maintenance. On improving the management of building maintenance works, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the current number of buildings aged 30 years in each of the 18 districts across the territory which have not yet been brought under the MBIS; whether it will consider replacing the existing "one-off major maintenance" model with a "regular building maintenance" model;
(2) whether it will draw up standard fees and charges for consultancy services relating to building maintenance works in order to prevent bidders from undercutting with unreasonably low prices or engaging in bid‑rigging by colluding to charge exorbitant costs; given that the Urban Renewal Authority (URA) has launched the Building Rehabilitation Company Registration Scheme, which aims to assess and register qualified building rehabilitation service providers as well as providing a one-stop information platform for owners to search for service providers, whether the Government knows if the URA has plans to review the scoring criteria for companies registered under the Scheme;
(3) as there are views that carrying out multiple maintenance works simultaneously in a building may pose safety hazards to existing occupants, whether the Government will consider requiring buildings which need to undertake multiple maintenance works to split up the works into smaller projects so as to lower the project costs and reduce the risk of bid-rigging; and
(4) whether it will consider requiring buildings under the MBIS to organise fire safety and building management-related activities, such as fire drills and building management workshops, and to keep records of such activities on file?
Reply:
President,
It is the fundamental responsibility of owners to maintain their properties in good condition. Based on this principle, the Government adopts a two-pronged approach to enhance building safety. On one hand, we encourage and support owners in the maintenance and repair of their properties. On the other hand, when dilapidated buildings pose danger to public safety, the Government will take the initiative to intervene through enforcement actions or by carrying out emergency repair works on behalf of the owners.
In consultation with the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau (HYAB) and the Security Bureau, our reply to the various parts of the question is as follows:
(1) By the end of 2025, there were over 20 000 buildings in Hong Kong aged 30 years or above that are under the coverage of the building categories of the Mandatory Building Inspection Scheme (MBIS). Among which, about 9 000 buildings have been successively issued with MBIS notices. Among those buildings issued with notices, about 70 per cent are aged 50 years or above.
The remaining some 11 000 buildings which have not yet been issued with MBIS notices are tabulated below, breakdown by District Council (DC) districts:
| DC districts | Number of buildings |
| Central and Western | 1 506 |
| Eastern | 758 |
| Islands | 290 |
| Kowloon City | 926 |
| Kwai Tsing | 399 |
| Kwun Tong | 495 |
| North | 498 |
| Sai Kung | 310 |
| Sha Tin | 729 |
| Sham Shui Po | 662 |
| Southern | 901 |
| Tai Po | 490 |
| Tsuen Wan | 423 |
| Tuen Mun | 510 |
| Wan Chai | 1 076 |
| Wong Tai Sin | 261 |
| Yau Tsim Mong | 1 124 |
| Yuen Long | 586 |
| Total | 11 944 |
It should be noted that buildings do not automatically become high-risk upon reaching 30 years of age. Statistics indicate that buildings of a higher age (50 years or above), as well as those without a property management company, generally exhibit poorer condition and maintenance. Such buildings are precisely among the targets of the MBIS. The Buildings Department (BD) will continue to select buildings on a risk basis to issue MBIS notices.
To alleviate the financial burden on owners, Operation Building Bright 2.0 provides subsidies to eligible owners for carrying out repair works required for compliance with MBIS notices. At the same time, we concur with Hon Fong's concept of regular maintenance. In fact, the new Preventive Maintenance Subsidy Scheme, launched by the Urban Renewal Authority (URA) in April 2024, also promotes regular maintenance. It encourages owners to formulate building maintenance plan on a 10-year maintenance cycle basis, and to establish a special fund for owners to make continuous contributions. After three years of continuous contributions, the URA will provide a one-off grant equivalent to 10 per cent of the total contributions made by the owners over the three-year period, thereby encouraging regular contributions. Since its implementation 22 months ago, the scheme has received 18 eligible applications involving 11 400 residential units.
(2) The Development Bureau (DEVB), in collaboration with the URA, has been providing the "Smart Tender" service since 2016. This service arranges for independent professionals to provide third-party professional advice and technical support to owners (such as advising on whether the scope of works in the tender documents complies with the requirements of the MBIS and providing reference cost estimates for relevant repair works items), as well as providing an electronic tendering platform for works consultants and contractors to participate in bidding. As for the URA's Building Rehabilitation Company Registration Scheme, it aims to provide building owners with free information, including assessments of whether works consultants and contractors have engaged professional personnel in project management, and completeness of their construction management and materials management systems. These assessments focus solely on the aforementioned specific areas and do not constitute a comprehensive evaluation of the company's overall circumstances and performance in determining its suitability as a service provider.
Following the fire incident at Wang Fuk Court, the Government has immediately reviewed the current arrangements with a view to reducing the opportunities for illegal collusion among consultants, contractors, and individual owners, as well as reducing the risk of bid-rigging. In this connection, the DEVB is collaborating with the URA to formulate measures to strengthen the URA's role and functions in promoting building rehabilitation. This includes enhancing the "Smart Tender" service by establishing a more rigorous "pre-qualified list" of consultants and contractors, including background checks by the Police and the Independent Commission Against Corruption.
The DEVB also proposes that under the enhanced "Smart Tender", the URA will conduct tendering and tender proposal evaluation procedures on behalf of owners for the appointment of consultants and contractors. We believe that with the URA acting as a gatekeeper during the tendering stage, it will also be difficult to accept tender prices that fall outside the reasonable range (whether exceedingly low or high).
(3) Allocating building repair items to different contractors requires careful consideration of associated issues, such as whether the site can accommodate simultaneous operations by multiple contractors, how owners will co-ordinate collaboration between contractors, and whether this will increase overall project costs and duration. We believe that the more rigorous "pre-qualified list" and the requirement that only pre-qualified consultants and contractors may participate in bidding as mentioned in part (2) above, coupled with the URA's leading role in the selection of consultants and contractors, will not only help ensure the reasonableness of tender prices but also reduce the opportunities for collusion and the risk of bid-rigging among consultants and contractors.
Furthermore, in response to the recommendations put forward by the Task Force on Investigation and Regulation chaired by the Chief Secretary for Administration, the HYAB will strengthen the relevant provisions of the Building Management Ordinance (Cap. 344). When making decisions on works or expenditure items, Owners' Corporations (OCs) will be required to comply with different levels of voting requirements for owners according to contract amounts. Projects of higher values require a higher threshold of quorum and voting-in-person, thereby preventing abuse of the system of proxy and being taken advantage of by criminals.
(4) The BD, the URA, the Fire Services Department (FSD) and the Home Affairs Department (HAD) have been organising regular district briefing sessions for owners, OCs, and Owners' Committees through the HAD's Central Platform on Building Management. These sessions introduce services and schemes related to building management and maintenance, including matters such as compliance with the MBIS, thereby strengthening the support provided to them.
In respect of fire safety, according to the Fire Service (Installations and Equipment) Regulations (Cap. 95B), the owner of any fire service installation or equipment (FSI) which is installed in any premises shall keep such FSI in efficient working order at all times; and have such FSI inspected by a registered contractor at least once in every 12 months.
Following the fire at Wang Fuk Court, the Government immediately established the Task Force on Strengthening Fire Safety Governance to implement both immediate measures and deploy medium to long term initiatives with the aim of enhancing fire safety. These include actively stepping up publicity, education, and training efforts for the public, OCs and property management companies (PMCs), etc. For example, encouraging them to increase the frequency of fire alarm tests to at least once in every six months, to organise at least one fire drill annually, to arrange the FSD to deliver disaster prevention and emergency preparedness seminars prior to such drills, regularly inspect means of escape and maintain proper records, as well as to check and repair all FSIs before carrying out major maintenance works.
The FSD is also committed to promoting public safety education. Ongoing efforts are being made to disseminate basic fire safety knowledge to the public through various channels, including newspaper interviews, press releases, short videos, and a wide range of activities. Besides, the FSD has newly established the Building Emergency Responders Scheme which provides specialised training for property management personnel, representatives of OCs, and residents on building fire safety and fire safety inspections. These Building Emergency Responders can assist in identifying potential safety hazards within housing estates, participate in fire safety inspections, and report risks to the FSD or PMCs, jointly enhancing fire safety in buildings. The Government is actively examining the need for legislative amendments, including elevating the abovementioned administrative measures to statutory requirements as appropriate, with a view to further safeguarding the lives and property of the public.
The HAD will continue to work closely with the FSD to arrange more fire safety talks and drills, and encourage building occupants (including buildings under the MBIS) to participate, so as to enhance residents' response capabilities in the event of a fire.
Ends/Wednesday, February 4, 2026
Issued at HKT 14:48
Issued at HKT 14:48
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