New measures introduced to enhance management of old buildings

The government of Hong Kong is actively pushing forward a series of measures to comprehensively enhance building management and raise public awareness of building management and safety.

These include the Building Management Professional Advisory Service Scheme and the Resident Liaison Ambassador Scheme. The two schemes are targetted mainly at old buildings, in particular old single blocks known as "three nil" buildings, i.e. those without owners' corporations, residents' organisations or property management companies.

Director of Home Affairs, Mrs Pamela Tan, signed contracts with two successful tenderers for the BMPASS to mark its official start.

Until March 31, 2014, the BMPASS will benefit owners and occupants living in 1 200 private buildings in Hong Kong's 18 districts. The scheme will offer free professional advisory services in relation to building safety and public safety, and assist in the formation of OCs and residents' organisations.

The scheme has two characteristics: Implementing the scheme on the basis of building clusters can be more cost-effective, facilitate synergy and encourage owners to learn from one another to tackle the problem of building neglect; and the PMCs, with their professionalism, can assist owners in overcoming the hurdles of initial start-up and co-ordination, so that owners can be progressively trained and eventually take up the management responsibility for their own property.

Introducing details of the scheme, Mrs Tan said the main service recipients will be  residential or composite buildings 30 years old or above; average rateable value of the residential units does not exceed $100,000; the common areas of the buildings are in disrepair or in a dilapidated condition requiring maintenance or repair work; and the building that does not have an OC or the OC is defunct.

  To tackle the complicated management issues of old buildings, the HAD also launched today a new "Resident Liaison Ambassador Scheme". The scheme is targetted at buildings with a high mobility of residents, for which it is relatively difficult to form OCs or other form of residents' organisations.

Permanent Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Raymond Young, said, "We shall recruit owners or tenants who have reached 18 years of age from buildings of 30 years old or above and without any form of management to be "Resident Liaison Ambassadors". The ambassadors will assist government departments in contacting residents, engaging them to discuss and handle routine building management matters such as cleaning, security, fire safety as well as encouraging them to help promote building management."

 Apart from basic training courses on building management, the Ambassadors will also be invited to join training activities on building safety or fire prevention organised by government departments and to discuss with the District Offices on the building management matters of mutual concern. The Ambassadors will become important contact points for "three nil" buildings.