Lawmaker calls for technical support in new district building management working groups

Lawmaker Christine Fong Kwok-shan on Wednesday called for technical officers to sit in on newly established district working groups on building management, saying they could act as “building doctors” by offering owners regular maintenance advice rather than intervening only when major repairs are needed.

Her comments came a day after the government announced the creation of permanent working groups on building management under all 18 District Councils, following a fatal five-alarm fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po last year that raised widespread concern over building management and maintenance.

Speaking on a radio program this morning, Fong said she would definitely join the working group and hoped it would serve as a centralized platform to gather management views from different estates, particularly where elderly residents may lack professional knowledge.

She said the presence of technical officers could help provide ongoing maintenance guidance to owners, adding that she understood the Urban Renewal Authority was also considering regular maintenance measures instead of inspections only at the time of large-scale repairs.

Meanwhile, Fong proposed introducing a third-party verification mechanism for authorization forms under the Building Management Ordinance, noting that forged authorizations had surfaced in multiple communities in the past.

She said authorization forms were often collected through drop boxes, making it difficult to determine responsibility when forgery occurred, and argued that a registration system was needed to help owners’ corporations and management committees verify the legitimacy of authorizations.

Another legislator, Elaine Chik Kit-ling, said on the same program that the working groups could allow issues to be addressed in a more focused manner and improve the consistency of opinion-gathering, leading to more effective follow-up.

She noted that many owners’ corporation members serve on a voluntary basis and may lack professional expertise, often having to “learn as they go,” and said the working groups could become a more direct channel for assistance.

Ching also highlighted difficulties in construction supervision, saying the government should provide unified monitoring standards to improve project effectiveness.

She added that public concern had recently been raised over the reliability of consultancy firms, and said that whether professionals should be invited to join the working groups should be decided after the groups have been operating for some time, based on practical needs or proposals raised by members.