The Development Bureau will submit draft legislative amendments to the Legislative Council in the latter half of this year, aiming to comprehensively reform the supervision of building maintenance works following the deadly blaze in Tai Po in November, which resulted in 168 deaths and exposed systemic vulnerabilities.
Speaking at the continuation of the eighth Legislative Council’s first session on Thursday, during which legislators discussed a motion on “Improving the management of building maintenance works” — raised by legislator Mark Chong Ho-fung — Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho outlined a multipronged strategy to close regulatory loopholes and empower owners.
The amendments include proposals to upgrade major renovation projects from Class II to Class I minor works, requiring third-party professionals to submit works proposals that include safety measures and supervision plans to the Buildings Department (BD).
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Third-party professionals must remain independent of the contractor carrying out the works, as determined by an enhanced version of the Smart Tender service — a fee-based Urban Renewal Authority service to assist owners’ organizations in building rehabilitation works, including tendering qualified registered contractors to carry out maintenance works.
As part of the proposed enhancements to the Smart Tender service, Linn said the URA will establish a more stringent pre-approved list for project consultants and contractors. This will go beyond basic checks of criminal and disciplinary records to include comprehensive background checks and rigorous evaluations of their past performance, Linn added.
She also said that the focus of the list will be on qualitative assessments — examining the specific nature of any violations and incorporating feedback from past clients — rather than on quantitative metrics such as the number of complaints or noncompliance notices received.
Linn added that she hopes to launch the service as soon as possible.
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Legislators called for tightening up the authorization system, which allows flat owners to authorize another person to represent them at owners' corporation meetings concerning major renovation projects.
Chong proposed that all authorization notices must be signed in the presence of management company staff and verified by the government through phone confirmation, while also encouraging owners to participate in building management affairs.
Federation of Trade Unions lawmaker Bill Tang Ka-piu suggested that authorization should only count as attendance, not voting. “Voting rights should be reserved for owners who are physically present. If reforms are not implemented, no responsible individuals will remain willing to serve on owners’ corporations,” Tang said.
Lam Chun-sing of the Federation of Hong Kong and Kowloon Labour Unions noted that establishing a pre-approved list for enhanced Smart Tender would require more time. He suggested that the government extend the inspection and repair deadline for buildings that have not yet complied with notices issued under the Mandatory Building Inspection Scheme, allowing them sufficient time to use the enhanced service.
From Dec 29 to 31, the Fire Services Department and the BD jointly inspected nine industrial buildings in Kowloon and the New Territories. The operation uncovered a total of 261 fire safety irregularities, with immediate enforcement actions taken against the responsible parties.
Specifically, the FSD initiated three prosecutions and issued 22 Fire Hazard Abatement Notices. The BD identified 13 subdivided flats suspected of being used for unauthorized domestic use and has contacted the relevant owners and occupants to arrange follow-up inspections.
Contact the writer at stacyshi@chinadailyhk.com
