Government to implement new procedures for investigating water seepage in private buildings from July 16
The Joint Office (JO), set up by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) and the Buildings Department, announced today (June 17) that the new procedures for investigating water seepage in private buildings (new procedures) will be implemented from July 16 as a pilot scheme. Water seepage cases received by JO from that day onward will be handled in accordance with the new procedures.
A spokesman for JO said, "Water seepage in buildings has been an issue of concern for many members of the public. The new procedures leverage technology and streamlined procedures to enhance investigation efficiency, thereby resolving water seepage problems more expeditiously. For relatively simple and straightforward cases, a Notification Letter can be issued to the relevant owner about 14 working days upon receipt of a report, which is about 57 working days earlier as compared with the previous practice of issuing a Nuisance Notice only after completing all investigations.
"Under the new procedures, JO will recover examination costs from owners who fail to fulfil their responsibilities. This arrangement can encourage owners to proactively liaise with occupants of the affected units and promptly carry out inspection and repair works," the spokesman added.
The Government has earlier consulted the Panel on Food Safety and Environmental Hygiene and the Panel on Development of the Legislative Council on the new procedures, and has submitted papers or briefed the District Councils. JO has also introduced the new procedures to the public through the media, seminars and other means. Given the generally positive response, the Government will implement the new procedures as a pilot scheme from July 16. Under the new procedures, infrared thermography will be introduced at the Stage I investigation and be used with electronic moisture meters simultaneously to assess seepage conditions and preliminarily identify the source of the seepage. If there is reason to believe that the source of water seepage is the upper unit, JO will promptly issue a Notification Letter to the owner of the upper unit, requiring the owner to carry out inspection and repair works within 28 calendar days.
If seepage persists after the period specified in the Notification Letter, JO will conduct Stage II and Stage III investigations in parallel, and under the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance (Cap. 132), issue a Nuisance Notice according to the investigation results, requiring the abatement of the seepage nuisance within a specified period. Upon expiry of the period, JO will conduct a review as well as a confirmatory test as necessary. For cases of non-compliance, JO will institute prosecution based on evidence and further apply to the court for a Nuisance Order, and recover the examination costs of not less than $17,000 from owners of upper units failing to fulfil their responsibilities.
To dovetail with the implementation of the new procedures, the Government will provide technical and financial support and assist owners of upper units in need to carry out inspection and repair works on their own. Members of the public can visit the dedicated water seepage webpage for the list of professionals and contractors interested in providing seepage investigation and repair services, a list of mediators, and information on financial assistance schemes. Moreover, the Government will also provide reference prices for seepage investigations and repairs on the thematic water seepage webpage before the implementation of the new procedures.
Moreover, the Government has been actively promoting the resolution of water seepage disputes through co-ordination and mediation. At present, property management companies of 330 housing estates have joined the Scheme of Participation by Property Management Agents in Tackling Water Seepage in Residential Building of the FEHD. Over the past three years, about 70 per cent of water seepage cases in participating estates were resolved by property management companies effectively through mediation, co-ordination, or by carrying out improvement works in common areas of the estates. The Environment and Ecology Bureau and the FEHD, together with the Department of Justice, have been implementing the Pilot Scheme on Community Mediation, offering mediation skills training free of charge to more than 200 property management personnel so far.
Water seepage cases received by JO from July 16 onward will be handled in accordance with the new procedures, while the cases received before that day will be processed under the existing procedures. Upon receipt of a water seepage complaint, JO will assign a case manager to follow up and notify the complainant. Complainants who have any questions about the handling process may contact the case manager, or JO at 2868 0000. For more information, please visit the dedicated water seepage webpage (www.waterseepage.gov.hk/en/water_seepage/pilot_scheme.html).
Source: AI-found images
