HOUSING AND LAND
117
Despite a chronic and acute shortage of professional staff the Buildings Ordinance Office reacted well to changing demand and other circumstances and the most serious shortfall in performance was in the area of unauthorised building works. Proposals to recruit experienced technical staff to undertake this task were made and the build-up of a new control organisation started at the end of the year. During the year, 1 287 buildings were inspected for unauthorised building works, resulting in 597 statutory notices being served, compared with 1 405 buildings inspected and 544 notices served in 1980.
Experience gained in recent years made it clear that there was a growing need for staff to specialise, for example, in the investigation of structural defects in post-war reinforced concrete buildings, or in processing licensed premises and oil storage installations. To deal with this need, new units were created within the Buildings Ordinance Office. As regards oil storage in particular, almost all the existing oil tank farms are now up to the standard prescribed by regulations, thus reducing the danger of environmental pollution. Work was in hand during the year of five new oil installations.
Management of Buildings in Multiple Ownership
During 1981, 243 new owners' corporations were formed under the Multi-storey Buildings (Owners' Incorporation) Ordinance. This legislation, passed in 1970, enables owners of a building in multiple ownership to incorporate themselves and appoint a committee for the better management of their building, particularly to ensure its maintenance and to uphold environmental standards. By the end of 1981, there were 1 901 corporations.
The City District Offices and the New Territories District Offices offer assistance and advice to owners and tenants, either on incorporation or on the formation of mutual aid committees. Mutual aid committees have similar aims to owners' corporations, but they are not statutory incorporated bodies or legal entities in themselves. Membership is open to all residents of a particular building. By the end of 1981, 4 648 mutual aid committees were registered.
A working group, set up under the auspices of the Kwun Tong District Management Committee in 1980, continued its study on the effectiveness of the existing legislation governing conditions in multi-storey buildings. The working group's report and recom- mendations have been submitted to government for consideration.
Rent Control of Pre-war Premises
SENT
Legislation controlling rents of pre-war premises and providing security of tenure was instituted by proclamation immediately after World War II and was later embodied in 1947 in the Landlord and Tenant Ordinance since re-enacted as Part I of the Landlord and Tenant (Consolidation) Ordinance. This legislation applies to both domestic and business premises and restricts rents by reference to pre-war levels (standard rent), while excluding from control new or substantially reconstructed buildings.
Increases in rents are permitted periodically, the latest being in May 1981, when the legislation was amended to provide for permitted rents to be eight times the standard rent in the case of domestic premises and 18 times for business premises. In neither case is the permitted rent to exceed the fair market rent. There are provisions for the Commissioner of Rating and Valuation to certify the user of premises and their fair market rent. A Tenancy Tribunal is appointed to determine the amount of rent payable in respect of pre-war premises and to deal with other tenancy matters.
There is provision in the legislation for the exclusion from control of premises and so, year by year, the stock of pre-war buildings is gradually diminishing. The usual purpose of