Opinion | From risk to reform: The future of building management in HK

Opinion

2025.07.17 13:03

By Brave Chan Yung (Hong Kong deputy to the National People's Congress; LegCo member)

As Hong Kong's urban landscape continues to age, a quiet crisis is unfolding behind its concrete walls.

According to projections by the Home Affairs Department, by 2046, more than 20,000 buildings across the city will be over 50 years old. Among them, a significant portion fall into the category of "three-nil buildings"—structures with no owners' corporation, no residents' organisation, and no property management company. These buildings are disproportionately concentrated in older districts like West Kowloon, where urban decay has already taken root.

Without proper governance or maintenance, these buildings face a multitude of problems: poor hygiene, safety concerns, fire hazards, and dilapidated infrastructure. These are not just structural issues—they are daily struggles that compromise the health, safety, and dignity of residents.

Yet, efforts to improve the management of such buildings are often met with formidable obstacles. Many owners are elderly or physically frail, making it difficult for them to engage in management tasks. Others have rented out their units and show little interest in the building's condition. Even when one or two proactive residents attempt to initiate the formation of an owners' corporation, a lack of consensus or neighbourly cooperation can stall progress entirely. In short, relying solely on voluntary efforts has yielded limited results.

Recognising the urgent need for a more sustainable solution, I believe it is time for the government to move beyond passive encouragement and adopt a model of structured, institutionalised support.

This month, the Home Affairs Department launched a pilot initiative in selected districts—the Joint Property Management Scheme. The programme aims to coordinate efforts at the district level, encouraging owners of three-nil and aging single-block buildings to pool resources, share services, and divide management costs. This approach enables small, under-resourced buildings to access essential property management services that would otherwise be out of reach.

But pilot schemes alone are not enough. A long-term, systemic framework is essential to address the scale of the problem. At a recent meeting of the Legislative Council, I proposed that the government deepen its integration of community resources, including lawyers, accountants, property consultants, and district councillors. These professionals can offer the legal, technical, and logistical support necessary to help residents overcome the bureaucratic and procedural hurdles of forming an owners' corporation.

In parallel, the government should consider adopting a "do first, charge later" model. Under this system, public funds would be used upfront to carry out essential cleaning, repairs, and facility upgrades. Costs would then be recovered proportionally from property owners. This approach would not only improve living conditions immediately but also lower the initial barriers to participation, encouraging more residents to take ownership and drive change in their communities.

The Home and Youth Affairs Bureau has acknowledged that progress in this area hinges on three key factors:

Enhanced local governance – Leveraging the influence and reach of the city's 470 District Councillors to engage residents and build networks for collaborative building management.
Worsening building conditions – As deterioration accelerates, so too does the urgency for owners to pursue collective maintenance solutions.
Adoption of smart technologies – Encouraging property management companies to embrace tools such as remote surveillance, smart access controls, and digital patrol systems to increase efficiency and reduce long-term costs.

By establishing clear policy frameworks, empowering district-level collaboration, and ensuring robust resource support, we can bring thousands of ageing buildings under effective management. More importantly, we can transform a culture of neglect into one of shared responsibility, paving the way for safer, cleaner, and more resilient homes across Hong Kong.

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