Hong Kong plans to consolidate building-maintenance records across government departments in a database, with its first phase targeted for May or June 2027, after an inquiry into a fire that killed 168 people.
Chief Secretary for Administration Eric Chan Kwok-ki gave the timetable in an Oct. 30 radio interview, RTHK and China Daily reported. The inquiry into the Wang Fuk Court fire identified problems in building oversight.
The government plans to establish the Building Maintenance Support & Services Council by the end of 2026. The council is intended to help property owners arrange inspections, tenders and oversight of repair work. Its project-tendering service is due to begin in the first quarter of 2027.
The full service is estimated to cost several thousand Hong Kong dollars per household, though the final fee has not been set. The government has allocated HK$100 million for start-up costs and HK$200 million for fee concessions for owners in need.
China Daily reported that Chan described a database containing inspection records, convictions for non-compliance and professional misconduct records. According to the outlet, artificial intelligence would analyze the data to identify problems. A separate planned reporting mechanism would let departments view ratings for substandard contractors and issue warnings.
The government has proposed making bid-rigging, price-fixing, market sharing and output restrictions in building-maintenance tenders criminal offenses. The maximum proposed penalty is 10 years in prison, with a fine set at the highest of HK$10 million, three times commercial gains or 50% of local turnover for each year of the violation. The amendments have not been enacted. EconoTimes previously covered the proposed prison terms for building tender collusion.
The government also plans to replace the Independent Checking Unit with a Public Housing Building Control Section within a month of its Oct. 30 announcement. The new section is to use dedicated teams for major public housing maintenance projects. Proposed changes to the Buildings Ordinance are due to go to the Legislative Council before the end of 2026.
In its account of the inquiry, the government said investigators linked the fire’s escalation to suspected replacement of fire-retardant scaffolding nets with non-fire-retardant ones, other combustible materials and openings in escape staircases. It identified deficiencies involving the Independent Checking Unit under the Housing Bureau, the Buildings Department, the Fire Services Department and the Labour Department. The committee made 120 recommendations. The public report is redacted while related criminal proceedings continue; the government plans to release the complete version after they conclude.
RTHK and China Daily reported that officials aim for lawmakers to pass the proposed competition amendments in April 2027.
