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Government attaches importance to building management
The Government attaches great importance to private building management and actively assists owners and residents in this area, the acting Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Joseph W P Wong, said today (Saturday).
Speaking at the "Building Management Seminar '95", Mr Wong said the Building Management Ordinance had further facilitated the formation of owners' corporations and tightened up the supervision of management committees.
He said: "It also introduced measures relating to the management of buildings subject to deeds of mutual covenant.
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A further recent improvement in the building management field, Mr Wong noted, has been the extension of the jurisdiction of the Lands Tribunal to embrace building management.
This provides a speedier and less expensive legal means for owners and concerned parties to resolve their differences, he added,
Apart from providing and improving the legal framework, the Home Affairs Department has established Building Management Co-ordination Teams in nine district offices to provide professional advice on building management.
"These teams proactively identify problematic buildings in their districts for improvement. Joint efforts by various government departments, such as the Buildings Department, the Fire Services Department and the Police, then help to facilitate implementation of the improvement plans," Mr Wong said.
Staff of district offices also attend Owners' Corporation general meetings on invitation, where they perform a useful advisory and mediating role.
"In addition, we are now putting more manpower and resources into private building management related educational and publicity activities," Mr Wong said.
Apart from publishing a number of helpful and informative booklets, the Home Affairs Department has produced a series of building management educational videos which are kept at the district offices for loan to any interested bodies free of charge.