Mandatory inspection

In 2010, a five-story building collapsed from man-made structural damage, causing four deaths. The investigation report indicated sub-standard construction in 1955, and lack of maintenance thereafter.

The Mandatory Building Inspection Scheme was launched in 2012. Under this initiative, the Buildings Department picks around 600 buildings annually from the 19,800 above 30 years old, for owners to arrange thorough inspection and repairs. OCs can apply for government subsidies to partly cover MBIS compliance or other proactive repairs.

So far, the BD has served inspection notices on 7,800 buildings, about 39 percent of the above 30-year-old target group. Of these, about 45 percent are yet to complete repairs. That is an indication of the uphill task of monitoring and staying abreast of the rapid build-up of aging buildings.

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu emphasized owners' responsibility to ensure building safety, after official inspection orders for a building in Jordan were ignored and it caught fire in April, leading to the deaths of five residents. He added that the government will provide more assistance for buildings with high maintenance priorities. The city's development chief, Bernadette Linn Hon-ho, hinted at a possible policy direction for all buildings reaching a certain age to proactively implement building inspections.

In the 2024 Policy Address, the chief executive pledged to assist more three-nil buildings. Data show more than HK$19 billion has been appropriated to subsidize owners to improve fire protection facilities, elevators, facades and other public repairs, benefiting thousands of aging buildings.

The BD has deployed drones and robotic technology to survey buildings with potentially higher risks and uses the data collected to create 3D models for follow-up work.