The Government plans to submit a draft bill to the Legislative Council enforcing property owners to ensure their buildings are properly managed and maintained next year should a clear consensus be reached in the community, Deputy Secretary for Housing, Planning & Lands Olivia Nip says.

Speaking on a radio talk show today, Ms Nip said although the community feels that owners are responsible for the proper upkeep of their buildings, the public has diverse views on the ways to enforce this.

She said, as a long-term measure to solve the problem, the Government is working towards a second-stage consultation to be launched this year, focusing on the feasibility of introducing mandatory building inspection and other support measures.

She said building maintenance and management is a complex issue which needs thorough discussions in the community before coming up with any concrete measures to tackle the problem. 

However, priority will be given to those buildings which pose an immediate danger, she said.

Housing Society to adopt 'one-stop' strategy

Attending the same programme, Hong Kong Housing Society Executive Director Wong Lai-chun said the Building Management & Maintenance Scheme the society recently introduced aims to help more owners improve building maintenance.

She said the Housing Society will adopt an integrated "one-stop" strategy to help owners handle building maintenance and management matters.

In addition to actively assisting owners in building management such as formation of owners' corporations, technical support, financial incentives and interest-free loans will also be made available to eligible owners, she added.