Checking Hong Kong Building Maintenance Before Buying: 7 Reforms After the Wang Fuk Court Fire Report

168 people. That is the death toll from the Wang Fuk Court fire, as reported by The Standard. The fire broke out in November 2025; in October 2026, the independent committee's investigation report was made public.

On 29 October 2026, Chief Executive John Lee released the report and announced seven systemic reforms aimed at preventing a similar incident from happening again. The report makes 120 recommendations. According to The Standard, the committee worked for about nine months and held 30 hearings; the report was submitted to the Chief Executive on 22 October.

For people looking at property, how a building is maintained, and who oversees that work, is also worth understanding.

The report is public, but parts have been redacted

After seeking legal advice, the government redacted content in the report that could actually or apparently prejudice criminal prosecutions. The full report will be released only after all related criminal proceedings have concluded. When it received the report on 22 October, the government had already said it would first seek legal advice on content relating to criminal trials.

The seven reforms at a glance

According to the Hong Kong government's news website, the seven reforms are as follows:

1. Prohibit and combat bid-rigging in building maintenance works, and create a criminal offence.
2. Set up an inter-departmental task force to combat bid-rigging.
3. Establish a Building Maintenance Support and Services Authority.
4. Reform the operation and regulatory regime for building maintenance, covering workflows, division of responsibilities, approval of works, and regulation of professionals and contractors.
5. Reform the structure of the Buildings Department and reorganise the independent checking unit under the Housing Bureau.
6. Build an inter-departmental central data system and reform the complaints mechanism.
7. Set up a steering committee chaired by the Chief Secretary for Administration to examine the report's recommendations one by one.

The government plans to turn bid-rigging from a civil breach into a criminal offence

At present, bid-rigging is a civil breach under the Competition Ordinance and is dealt with by fines. The government's plan is to bring bid-rigging in building maintenance works under the existing Organized and Serious Crimes Ordinance.

On sentencing, The Standard reported that the Competition Commission had suggested imprisonment of seven to ten years; this is the commission's recommendation, and the final sentence will depend on the legislation enacted later. On enforcement, the joint task force against bid-rigging in building maintenance works is coordinated by the Secretary for Security.

Official support that owners can engage

The new Building Maintenance Support and Services Authority will recruit a certain number of building inspection consultants in advance. Owners can engage them straight away, without having to run a separate tender for each project. The authority will also handle the tendering and tender evaluation of works supervision consultants and contractors on owners' behalf. Under the government's timetable, it will begin operating before the end of 2026 and launch fee-charging services from January 2027.

Another change is the pre-qualification lists. The government has begun accepting applications from consultants and contractors to join three lists, covering building inspection, supervision and construction, and in future only firms on the lists will be able to bid for the relevant works. Professionals or contractors involved in matters under the Prevention of Bribery Ordinance or the Competition Ordinance will be removed immediately, without a disciplinary hearing.

Shortcomings in mandatory building inspection, and fire service installations

As relayed by the government's news website, the report found that the mandatory building inspection scheme has shortcomings, and that members of the public are easily deceived because they lack engineering expertise.

On fire safety, the Security Bureau proposes amending the law: shutting down major fire service installations would change from after-the-fact notification to prior approval, with each shutdown lasting no more than 60 days; contractor registration would change from permanent validity to renewal every five years; and it proposes legislating to make property management companies and owners statutory persons responsible for fire service installations. The Development Bureau plans, when amending the Buildings Ordinance, to make large-scale building maintenance a new category of works.

Timetable for legislative amendments and restructuring

According to The Standard on 28 October, amendments to the Buildings Ordinance are planned to go to the Legislative Council before the end of 2026. The steering committee will be led by the Chief Secretary for Administration, and its focus will be three sets of amendments covering the Buildings Ordinance, the Building Management Ordinance and fire safety legislation.

At departmental level, the restructuring of the Buildings Department is due to start in the first quarter of 2027, with two top-level divisions responsible for new buildings and existing buildings respectively. The groups handling existing buildings will increase from six to ten, under a district-chief system. The Housing Bureau will set up a public housing building control unit within November 2026.

Five things to ask before buying

The following are general pointers drawn from the official information above and do not constitute legal or engineering advice:

• Whether the building has had, or will have, major maintenance works, and how progress and costs are being shared.
• If maintenance works are put out to tender, whether the consultants and contractors handling inspection, supervision and construction are on the government's pre-qualification lists; the government says that in future only firms on the lists can bid for the relevant works.
• Whether the building's major fire service installations have been shut down recently, and for how long; the Security Bureau proposes that prior approval be required in future, with each shutdown lasting no more than 60 days.
• If any part of a mandatory building inspection result is unclear, consider consulting a professional; the report found that members of the public are easily deceived because they lack professional knowledge.
• Keep an eye on the arrangements for the Building Maintenance Support and Services Authority's services; it is due to provide fee-charging services from January 2027, and details are subject to official announcements.

As of October 2026, many of the measures above still await legislation or establishment, and the specific terms are subject to later government announcements.

Look at who is overseeing the work

The report makes 120 recommendations, and the government has begun accepting applications from consultants and contractors to join the three pre-qualification lists for inspection, supervision and construction. For buyers, who inspects, who supervises and who carries out a building's maintenance is worth paying attention to.

Prices and details correct as of October 2026

Compiled by the F50 Editorial Team from public sources, for general reference only and not professional advice. Details are correct as of the publication date and may change.