Hong Kong’s new Building Maintenance Support and Services Council, a public body dedicated to supporting building maintenance, will provide two service tiers to homeowners — a free, basic plan that includes useful information and document templates; and a paid package that will assist them during bidding, construction, and more, officials said on Friday.

The establishment of the new public body was announced on Thursday as part of the government’s reforms — which include legal amendments and departmental restructuring — aimed at preventing the occurrence of tragedies like the Wang Fuk Court fire, and will help property owners through the various stages of building maintenance and renovation works.

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At a media briefing on Friday morning, Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho said the new council, which is expected to begin operations by the end of this year and to start providing services in January 2027, will support owners and oversee project parties involved in building inspection, tender preparation, bid evaluation and construction.

Officials said the council’s free services include providing lists of trustworthy consultants and contractors, templates of tender documents and engineering contracts, as well as the cost data from past projects, enabling homeowners to conduct bidding procedures and hire consultants and contractors.

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With the paid-service package, which is compulsory for homeowners applying for government repair subsidies, the council will act as an agent in the recruitment of building inspection consultants and will review inspection reports.

The council will also handle the bidding and evaluation work in the appointment of supervision consultants and contractors to work on behalf of the property owners.

Linn said that at the tendering stage, for instance, the council will help screen out abnormally low-priced bids, and will recommend up to three bids and monitor any declarations of interest. During construction, it will help owners check whether the supervision consultant is delivering the services required under the contract, including receiving and reviewing regular progress reports, she added.

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The paid service could cost a few thousand Hong Kong dollars per household, with fees to be announced after detailed analysis, Linn said.

She said that HK$300 million ($38.23 million) has been earmarked for the council — HK$100 million in startup capital and HK$200 million for fee waivers and subsidies for users, with the authorities aiming to focus relief on owners in the most need.

According to Linn, once established, the new council will first tackle 1,800 pending projects under Smart Tender, a platform developed by the Urban Renewal Authority to reduce bid-rigging risks in building maintenance.

The council will also take over the services related to building maintenance and renovation works that are currently provided by the URA for the better division of labor, officials said.

Contact the writer at amberwu@chinadailyhk.com