Hong Kong lawmakers back housing bureau reforms on building maintenance regulation
Hong Kong lawmakers have welcomed housing bureau reforms including a new public housing building control unit. Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong outlined liaison officer roles, unannounced inspections and resource allocation for increased maintenance work.
Legislative council members on the housing affairs committee have expressed support for the Housing Bureau's systematic reforms to building maintenance supervision, including the establishment of a public housing building control unit with a new regulatory framework, according to a government statement released on 2 November 2026.
Several lawmakers inquired about the scope of authority and practical duties of liaison officers assigned to specialist teams. Deputy Financial Secretary and Acting Director of Housing Michael Wong said the officers primarily maintain contact with owners' corporations, and when complaints arise, ensure they are referred to appropriate personnel or departments without needing to exercise multiple regulatory functions.
Responding to concerns about whether staffing would be sufficient given an expected increase in major maintenance projects, Wong stated that the Buildings Ordinance would substantially raise various requirements, increasing workloads for public officers. However, he said the government has mechanisms to ensure resources are deployed as needed, will make good use of technology, and will continuously review the situation.
Regarding lawmakers' concerns about surprise inspections, Wong said the current independent inspection team and the future control unit have changed their approach, conducting inspections without prior notice. If officers arrive at a site and personnel are absent, they wait two to three hours for netting or scaffolding workers to return, using the waiting time to inspect other parts of the site to eliminate risks of falsification that could arise from advance notification.
Wong added that together with the Buildings Department's “district chief system” and other reforms, he believes the management culture will undergo a fundamental change.