Following is a question by the Hon Kwok Fu-yung and a reply by the Under Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Miss Diane Wong, in the Legislative Council today (October 28):

Question:

     The Joint Office (JO), set up by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department and the Buildings Department, has fully implemented new procedures for investigating water seepage in private buildings  in July this year. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) of the following information since the implementation of the new procedures: (i) the number of water seepage reports received by the JO, (ii) the number of cases in which a Notification Letter has been issued, (iii) the number of cases in which inspection and repair works were not completed within the required 28 calendar days, together with the percentage of such cases in the total number of cases in which a Notification Letter has been issued, and (iv) the number of water seepage cases that have yet to be handled, together with the specific reasons therefor;

(2) of the number of Nuisance Notices issued by the authorities under the new procedures to owners who have failed to fulfil their repair responsibilities, and the specific procedures for recovering examination costs from such owners; the number of cost recovery cases that have been instituted and concluded to date, and the highest amount recovered in such cases; and

(3) given that the Government will introduce a three-tier mechanism for resolving building management disputes next year, how the Government will make further use of the JO's professional and technical support, in respect of cases involving water seepage in buildings, to help clarify responsibility and enhance the efficiency of mediation under the first-tier of the mechanism?

Reply:

President,

     The Joint Office (JO) set up by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) and the Buildings Department (BD) has been implementing new procedures on a trial basis for investigating water seepage in private residential premises across Hong Kong since July 16, 2026. The new procedures leverage technology and streamline processes to improve investigative efficiency, and to expedite notifying owners of the relevant property units to self-arrange inspection and complete repair works. 

     Under the new procedures, the JO incorporates infrared thermography at Stage I inspection, alongside the existing electronic moisture meters to assess seepage conditions and preliminarily identify the source of seepage. If there is reason to believe that the source of water seepage is the upper unit, the JO will issue a Notification Letter to the owner of the upper unit, requiring the owner to self-arrange inspection and complete repair works within 28 calendar days. If the owner fails to comply with the Notification Letter and with seepage persists after the specified period, the JO will conduct Stage II and Stage III investigations in parallel. For cases where the source of water seepage is confirmed to originate from the upper unit, the JO will, pursuant to the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance (Cap. 132), issue a Nuisance Notice (NN) to the owner of that unit, requiring him/her to eliminate the seepage nuisance within a specified timeframe, and recover the inspection costs from the owner. 

     Regarding the questions from the Hon Kwok Fu-yung, in consultation with the BD and the Home Affairs Department (HAD), the reply is as follows:

(1) From July 16 to October 22, 2026, the JO received a total of 19 048 cases, all of which have been assigned a case manager for follow-up actions. Of these, 12 746 cases (about 67 per cent) have completed Stage I inspection. Based on the inspection results, the JO has issued a Notification Letter to 4 322 cases (about 34 per cent) of the suspected water seepage units. The JO has commenced Stage II and Stage III investigation for 427 cases, representing approximately 10 per cent of the total number of Notification Letter issued.

     Upon expiry of the period specified in the Notification Letter, the JO targets to visit the premises concerned for verification within 12 working days. Since August 21, 2026, the Notification Letters issued have progressively expired. As at October 3, by which time the target date for conducting verification visits had also expired, the JO had verified 828 of the 1 827 cases concerned. It is actively following up on the remaining cases, including liaising with the parties concerned to schedule visit and arranging follow-up actions according to the complexity of individual cases. Of the 828 verified cases, seepage has been resolved in 424 cases (about 51 per cent), while extensions have been granted in 29 cases (about four per cent) upon submission of evidence that repair works are being arranged. The JO has commenced Stage II and Stage III investigations in parallel for the remaining 375 cases. Preliminary data indicate that, under the new procedures, the Notification Letter effectively urges owners to undertake repair works promptly, thereby supporting the policy objective of expediting the resolution of water seepage issues.

(2) After completing Stage II and Stage III inspections and confirming the source of seepage is from the upper unit, the JO will issue a NN and payment notice to non-compliant owners of the upper unit, and recover inspection costs. As the new procedures were introduced in mid-July this year, cases in which investigations confirm the source of water seepage, leading to the issuance of a NN and the recovery of inspection costs, are not expected to arise until around mid-December. 

     The inspection costs charged are calculated based on actual expenditure, which cover, among others, staff resources required for inspection, engagement of outsourced consultants (applicable to Stage III investigations), transportation and material, supervision costs and departmental administrative expenses, estimated at not less than about $17 000.

(3) With regards to information provided by the HAD, its three-tier mechanism for resolving building management disputes addresses disputes related to the Buildings Management Ordinance (Cap. 344) (BMO) and the Codes of Practice under the BMO, or the Deed of Mutual Covenant of a building, which does not cover water seepage issues within buildings. Under the mechanism, District Council (DC) members will make early intervention to work with neighbours, seeking to resolve disputes through amicable negotiations. If the issues remain unresolved, DC members will refer the parties concerned to the professional mediation services established by the HAD. If the issues still cannot be resolved satisfactorily, consideration may be given to take cases to court. 

     DC members have long been important partners of the JO. We encourage them to leverage the professional and technical information provided by the Government to assist owners in need in resolving water seepage issues. To dovetail with the new procedures, the Government provides technical and financial support to assist owners concerned in arranging inspections and repairs themselves. The Water Seepage Thematic Webpage provides lists of individuals and contractors offering investigation and repair services, as well as mediators, indicative costs, and details of financial assistance schemes. The Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors has also published a guide on seepage inspection and maintenance, covering information on identifying signs of water seepage, simple testing methods and practical advice for maintenance. The JO has made all the above-mentioned materials available on the Water Seepage Thematic Webpage for public reference.

     The Government will continue to monitor the implementation of the new procedures, and adjust its strategy as necessary, while proactively promoting mediation to resolve disputes between residents, encouraging owners to fulfill their responsibility of properly maintaining their property, to address water seepage problems more expeditiously.

Ends/Wednesday, October 28, 2026
Issued at HKT 13:10

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