Individual owner can apply the Building Safety Loan Scheme from BD for the loan of his/her contribution amount of works contract.

The total amount of subsidy for CAS is based on the number of units including residential and commercial units.

The URA will provide technical support and commission independent building surveyor consultants (BSC). BSC will assess the survey report, tender documents and works contract provided by the IO's consultant to provide 3rd party professional opinions. Moreover, BSC will provide building rehabilitation costs assessment so that owners have more understanding on the costs.

Works item fulfils the criteria of Green Item Subsidy include: External wall paint comply with the guideline of the scheme; or certified materials, products or fixings, etc being used for building repairs or new installation

No, it cannot. OC should submit the application form prior to the commencement of repair works and the appointment of Authorized Person or Qualified professional.

No. Only the building owners having received MBIS Pre-notification Letters or Statutory Notice can apply MBISS.

Buildings should fulfill all of the following criteria:

• Private residential or composite (commercial & residential) buildings aged 30 or above (according to the Occupation Permit), excluding residential buildings not exceeding 3 storeys; and
• Buildings of an average rateable value per residential unit not exceeding $187,000 p.a. in the urban areas including Shatin, Kwai Tsing and Tsuen Wan or $143,000 p.a. in the New Territories; and
• Buildings not in single ownership; and
• OCs/co-owners having received MBIS Pre-Notification Letters or Statutory Notices issued by BD; and
• Applicant is required to appoint a person whose name is for the time being on the Inspectors’ Register kept by the BA for the prescribed inspection.
• Application should be submitted before the appointment of RI.

If there has been no owners’ corporation formed for a building, all owners collectively shall be the Applicant who submit the application to the URA. Please refer to the “Application Notes for building without Owners’ Corporation” in Annex I to the “Integrated Building Rehabilitation Assistance Scheme” Application Form for detailed information.

The beneficiaries of the OBB2.0 are owner-occupiers. If the units are rented, owners of such units will not receive subsidies under the OBB 2.0. However, if the buildings are eligible for the Common Area Repair Works Subsidy, owners of the rented units can receive subsidies under the Common Area Repair Works Subsidy.

Yes, they are. As long as a unit is occupied by the owners themselves or their immediate family members, its owners will be eligible for the OBB2.0 as owner-occupiers. If a unit is co-owned by elderly owner-occupier(s) and non-elderly person(s), its owners are also eligible for the level of subsidy designated for elderly owner occupiers, namely, 100% of the cost of the inspection and repair works for common parts of the unit, subject to a cap of $50,000 per unit.

If owners wonder whether the average annual rateable values in 2022/23 of the buildings that their units belong to meet the eligibility criterion related to the average annual rateable value for the subsidy scheme, they can call the URA at 31881188 for enquires.

When owners receive letters from the BD, the URA will also send notification letters to inform owners to apply for the OBB2.0.

For an individual owner-occupier of a unit in a Category 1 building, he/she should submit an application within two months from the date of issue of the “Approval-in-Principle Letter” by the URA to the building concerned or within two months from the date of issue of the first letter “Contribution Schedule for Works for the Common Areas of the Building” issued by the owners’ organisation to the owners, the later of which shall be regarded as the application deadline. For an individual owner-occupier of a unit in a Category 2 building, he/she should submit an application within six months from the date of issue of the letter by the Buildings Department notifying the engagement of consultants for inspection and supervision of repair works for the building concerned, or within two months from the date of issue of the notification letter regarding the engagement of contractors for repair works for the building concerned, the later of which shall be regarded as the application deadline.

Besides, the URA will send notification letters to owners of buildings which approved for participating in OBB2.0.

To meet the eligibility criteria for the OBB2.0, for one thing, the average annual rateable value of all domestic units as of 2022/23 in a building should not exceed $187,000 in urban areas (including districts of Shatin, Kwai Tsing and Tsuen Wan) and $143,000 in the New Territories. If the building mentioned above is located at urban areas and its average annual rateable value is lower than $187,000, then it meets this eligibility criterion.

With regard to the OBB2.0, as long as the residential units are occupied by owners themselves or their immediate family members, owners of such units will be eligible for the OBB2.0 as owner-occupiers. However, owner-occupiers aged 60 or above will receive larger amounts of subsidies.

To meet the eligibility criteria for the OBB2.0, for one thing, the average annual rateable value of all domestic units as of 2022/23 in a building should not exceed $187,000 in urban areas (including districts of Shatin, Kwai Tsing and Tsuen Wan) and $143,000 in the New Territories. Please note that we will only decide whether a building meets this eligibility criterion or not depending on the average annual rateable value of all its domestic units. Therefore, the rateable values of shops on ground floors will not affect the eligibility of buildings.

If there has been no owners’ corporation formed for a building, all owners collectively shall be the Applicant who submit the application to the URA. Please refer to the “Application Notes for building without Owners’ Corporation” in Annex I to the “Integrated Building Rehabilitation Assistance Scheme” Application Form for detailed information.

If there has been no owners’ corporation formed for a building, all owners collectively shall be the Applicant who submit the application to the URA. If owners fail to hold an owners’ meeting and pass the resolution of participating in this subsidy scheme within the application period due to practical difficulties, owners can appoint two owners as owners’ representatives to submit an application form to the URA first and hold an owners’ meeting later, at which the relevant resolution shall be passed. The minutes of the meeting shall be submitted to the URA later.

If the Applicant owned more than one eligible unit in applying for OBB 2.0, he/she may only apply for subsidy with his/her occupied unit, i.e. the number of unit limits at one. Where an Applicant has received subsidy under the OBB 2.0 for a certain unit, he/she shall not be entitled to any subsidy under the OBB 2.0 again even if he/she subsequently moves to another eligible building under Category 1 or Category 2 of OBB 2.0.

The statutory executive departments of fire safety directions are the FSD and the BD, and they are responsible for fire service installation and equipment and fire safety construction respectively. The subsidy of the “FSWS” is only applicable to works carried out at the common parts of buildings required for complying with the “Directions” and/or its related “Fire Safety Directions”. Please refer to Section 4, the “Use of Subsidy”, of the Application Notes for detailed information to learn about the coverage of the subsidy.

Please note that if Applicants can’t provide the compliance letters issued by the FSD and the BD, which confirm that the required fire safety improvement works listed in the “Directions” have been completed and have met the requirements of the “Directions”, the subsidies to be disbursed may be cancelled.

According to Section 1.1 (iii) under the Eligibility Criteria of the Application Notes of the “FSWS”, one of the criteria that applicable buildings should meet is that building owners have received “Directions” for the common parts of the building and / or its related “Fire Safety Directions” issued by the FSD and the BD, but compliance letters confirming the completion of all fire safety improvement works required by the “Ordinance” had not been issued as of 11 October 2017.

Therefore, if the building has not received “Directions”, it is not eligible for the “FSWS”.

The “FSWS” is only applicable to the improvement work projects for the common parts of buildings. As to the works for the private parts, eligible owners can apply for subsidies under the “BMGSNO” provided by the URA. The improvement works for the fire service and building safety of individual units are also covered in this scheme.

Applicant must submit income proof and asset declaration. Applicant is also required to make a statutory declaration to confirm that all information and evidences provided are genuine and correct.

Upon the completion of work, the applicant should notify the Application Team of Urban Renewal Authority (URA) which will then arrange a site inspection by URA staff and/or its representatives. He/She is also required to provide the supporting documents (e.g. a completion certificate). After verification of completion of work, URA will release the grant to the applicant.

If grants are applied for conducting maintenance works in residential units, eligible Applicants will have to submit application forms before the maintenance works. And if grants are applied for conducting maintenance works for common parts of buildings, eligible Applicants will have to submit applications forms before the issues of compliance letters confirming the completion of the maintenance works of the buildings.

The grant is capped at HK$80,000 for each application and every eligible applicant can apply for a maximum of 4 times within 10 years, counted from the date of the first successful application.

The owner can apply if he/she meets the eligibility criteria. The grant of BMGSNO can be used to repay the eligible applicant’s outstanding loan(s) from BD, Hong Kong Housing Society or URA in relation to building repair works. The amount of the outstanding loan will be counted as of the day of submission of BMGSNO application.

Yes, assets of the property owner and his/her spouse (if married) will be assessed.

A maximum grant of HK$80,000 is available for each eligible owner-occupier. Eligible applicant can decide to use the grant on building safety related maintenance works in a residential flat and/or in building common areas. The grant can also be used to repay the eligible applicant’s outstanding loan(s) from Buildings Department, Hong Kong Housing Society or URA in relation to building repair works.

Elderly aged 60 or above, recipients of the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) and recipients of the Disability Allowance (DA) who are owner-occupiers and comply with the income and asset limits can apply for the “BMGSNO”.  For Applicants aged 60 and above, the asset limits are three times of the asset limit for Normal Old Age Allowance (Normal OALA), namely, $1,164,000 for singletons and $1,767,000 for couples (April 2023 edition). The asset limits for recipients of the DA are linked to their asset limits for applying for public rental housing units from the HKHS. Please refer to the “Income & Asset Limits and Rateable Value Limit Table” for detailed information.

The Applicants can contact the application group of the HKHS (Enquiry Hotline: 2839 7166) to enquire about the materials that you had submitted to the HKHS for application and the amount of grants that you had received.

The tenant is not eligible for the application because the applicant must be an owner-occupier of a residential flat in a private domestic building or composite building.

The applicant should submit a copy of the spouse’s death certificate and declare his/her assets (the asset limit is the same as that for singleton).

•    Holder of valid Hong Kong Identity Card
•    Owner of a residential flat in a private domestic building or composite building
•    Residing in the applied property with his/her spouse (if married)
•    Fulfill either one of the following criteria:
      →Aged 60 or above and comply with the income and net asset limits
      →Recipient of Old Age Living Allowance

      →Recipient of Disability Allowance and comply with the income and net asset limits
      →Recipient of Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA)
•    Not undischarged bankrupt person

The Hong Kong Housing Society (HKHS) will review your application for the BMGS. After the completion of the repair works of buildings and the inspection of the HKHS, the maximum amount of grant receivable by eligible Applicants is $40,000. If the cost of the repair works for the common parts of the building that you need to pay exceed $40,000, please call the URA at 3188 1188 for enquiring about the “Building Maintenance Grant Scheme for Needy Owners” (BMGSNO).

For applicant who has already received grant under BMGSEO, he/she may also apply for BMGSNO if he/she meets the eligibility criteria. However, the total grant amount received under the two schemes will not exceed HK$80,000.

To demolish unauthorized building works is not a requirement of the “BMGSNO”. However, the grant should be used to improve the disrepair states of buildings so as to solve their safe and sanitary problems. Therefore, eligible Applicants can apply for the BMGSNO to dispose of and demolish unauthorized building works.

Such case will be referred to and handled by the application team of Urban Renewal Authority.

The owner is not eligible for the application because the applicant must be an owner-occupier residing in the applied property with his/her spouse (if married).

Applicant should submit photocopies of related license of registered contractor and completion certificate(s) as required by legislation(s). Applicant who fails to provide the required supporting documents or to arrange flat/building inspection for URA staff and/ or its representatives, will delay the processing of his/her application and may affect the approved grant amount.

While applying for the “BMGS” processed by the HKHS, the eligibility of the Applicant and his/her legal spouse and whether he/she complies with the income and asset limits will be reviewed. The Applicant of the upgraded BMGSNO is also required to be the owner himself/herself together with his/her spouse. Therefore, as to the above-mentioned case, after deducting the grant of $20,000 received under the “BMGS”, the eligible Applicant and his spouse can still apply for a subsidy subject to a cap of $60,000.

The administrator or executor (i.e. the holder of Letters of Administration (LA) or Probate) is eligible to apply as the owner of the residential flat. The applicant has to meet other eligibility criteria of BMGSNO. Before the release of grant, the LA or Probate must be registered on the land register of the applied property, and the applicant must still remain as the administrator or executor of applied property for URA to process the application.

The scope of works covers building safety related maintenance works in a residential flat and/or in building common areas. Please refer to the application notes for details.

Under normal circumstances, the applicant will receive a notification letter about the result after the submission of all relevant documents and the completion of assessment of the repair work items and expenses by Urban Renewal Authority (URA). Applicant who fails to provide the required supporting documents or to arrange flat/building inspection for URA staff and/or its representatives, will delay the processing of his/her application.

Beside the BMGSNO, eligible owner-occupiers also can apply for the “Home Renovation Interest-free Loan” of the URA or the “Building Safety Loan Scheme” of the BD. However, each maintenance project will only be subsidised or get loans once. Owners can apply for several allowance/loan schemes with only one “Integrated Building Rehabilitation Assistance Scheme” Application Form (applicable to individual flat owners).

The amount of grant will be calculated in proportion to the share of ownership of the property owned by the eligible applicant. For example, if the applicant owns 50% share of ownership of the property, the maximum grant he/she can get is HK$40,000 (HK$80,000 x 50%).

Subject to the provision of all required information and supporting documents, the processing time for a loan application is normally 14 days for the removal of unauthorised building works, and 21 days for repair works in the common areas of buildings.

Only one registered owner is required to handle the loan application, including executing a loan agreement in the Buildings Department after the loan has been approved. Other registered owners should give consent to the loan application by signing the application form.

If the applicant passes away, Buildings Department (BD) will cease to release the outstanding approved loan. Regarding the loan already released, BD will require the Administrator for the applicant to repay the amount with interest accrued in one go. If the Administrator refuses to repay the loan, BD will recover the loan from the indemnifier, i.e. the guarantor.

The applicant must notify Buildings Department (BD) immediately. The outstanding balance on the approved loan, together with interest accrued (if applicable), has to be settled in a lump sum. Upon receipt of notification, BD will arrange to send or fax a demand note to the applicant so that he/she can repay the amount accordingly.

To be qualified to apply for the loan, the successor (the new owner) is required to obtain a Letter of Administration or Probate, and to register himself as the Administrator/Executrix or registered owner of the property at the Land Registry.

In case the registered owner cannot lodge the loan application by himself/herself, he/she may authorise another person to act for him by executing a power of attorney in a law firm. The authorisation should specify that the person concerned has been authorised to act for the owner in dealing with the loan application and loan repayment relating to the property. The authorisation is not confined to any specific form, and may be modified by the solicitor according to the need of the owner.

The interest rate is set at Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region’s no-gain-no-loss rate which is reviewed on a monthly basis.

The amount of the loan is subject to a ceiling of HK$1 million per unit of accommodation. For a loan of HK$50,000 or above, the applicant should provide security. A company/corporate applicant must provide security irrespective of its loan amount. Security may be provided by providing a Deed of Indemnity, executing a legal charge on a property in Hong Kong or providing a Letter of Guarantee issued by a licensed bank in Hong Kong, subject to the loan amount.

If there are defaulted works, Buildings Department will release the loan according to the works progress report on the actual progress of the completed works submitted by the Owners' Corporation (OC). The remaining amount of the approved loan will not be released, and the applicant is required to start repaying the released loan after one month. If the OC will conduct a re-tendering exercise to complete the defaulted building repair works in future, the owner can apply for the loan accounting for the cost of the repair works to be carried out.

For application of Building Safety Loan Scheme, all applicants should submit: an application form; and a copy of the applicant’s Hong Kong Identity Card;
 
For application of loans relating to comprehensive building repair works, applicants should submit: works contract/tender document; minutes and notice of the owners’ general meetings with the calculation method for the apportionment of repair costs to each accommodation unit specified; and copy of the repair order/investigation order (if any). 
 
If the maintenance works relating to the loan application is coordinated by the Owners’ Corporation (OC) of the building or the resident organization concerned, which is willing to help provide the necessary documents, the Buildings Department (BD) will directly contact the OC or the resident organization for access to the documents.
 
If the application of loan is related to the demolition of unauthorized building works, the applicant is required to submit a quotation (with the items of works and their prices listed in detail), a copy of the removal order (if any); and a copy of the Business Registration Certificate of the contractor.

The first repayment by instalments will be due one month after the final drawdown of the loan. The maximum repayment period is 36 months for an interest-bearing loan and 72 months for an interest-free loan.

All registered owners of private buildings are eligible to apply for the loan irrespective of the values of their properties. If the applicant is required to provide security by execution of a legal charge registered against the title of his property, the maximum loan amount to be granted will not exceed the market value of the property concerned. If the applicant has an undischarged bankruptcy order, the loan application will not be approved.

Upon completion of the release of the loan, Buildings Department (BD) will send a “notice of release of loan” and the repayment schedule to the applicant. The repayment schedule will set out the monthly due date and the repayment amount of each instalment. Applicant can settle the repayment by the following methods:
(a) bank autopay;
(b) bank automated teller machines;
(c) Payment by Phone Service (PPS);
(d) bill payment services through the Internet provided by banks and PPS;
(e) payment sent to the Treasury PO Box; or
(f) payment made in person at any post offices.
If the applicant settles the repayment by a method other than autopay, he will receive a demand note a few days prior to the payment due date each month. For repayment by autopay, the autopay arrangement will become effective only upon receipt of a confirmation letter from BD on the autopay arrangement.

For early repayment, the borrower is required to apply to the Building Safety Loan Scheme Unit of Buildings Department in writing. If approved, the borrower will not need to pay penalty/penalty interest or administration fee. Interest will accrue up to one calendar day before the repayment date.

For repair work projects carried out to the common areas of buildings, the approved loan will be released to the applicant or the Owners’ Corporation (OC) authorised by the applicant by no more than 3 stages according to the actual progress of the works. The applicant/OC should submit a works progress report certified by the Authorised Person (AP) and the contractor (where applicable).

The loan will be released by no more than 3 stages according to the actual progress of works. Interest will start accruing on the drawdown date of each loan based on the prevailing interest rate.

There are interest-bearing loans and interest-free loans. For interest-bearing loans - the applicant is not required to undergo any means tests. For interest-free loans, the applicant must be:
(a) a recipient of the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA); or
(b) a recipient of the Normal Old Age Allowance; or
(c) earning income and possessing assets (including those of other household member(s)) within the prescribed limits.

An indemnifier must be a Hong Kong resident and holder of Hong Kong Permanent Identity Card over 18 years of age, gainfully employed, able to supply a business address and provide a tax assessment or relevant income proof to demonstrate the adequacy of his financial resources. In this regard, a company cannot act as an indemnifier. If one of the directors of the company applicant satisfies the aforesaid conditions of an indemnifier, he can act as an indemnifier in his own capacity for the loan granted to the company applicant.

If there is any variation works, applicants should notify the Administration immediately. Variation works should be commenced after obtaining approval in writing from the Administration.

One of the eligibility criteria for HRIL is that the domestic property must be solely or jointly owned by individuals (not owned by companies). Any domestic unit owned by a company cannot fulfill such a criterion.

No income and asset test under HRIL is required, but the related property must be the only property owned by each applicant in Hong Kong, in any form or manner. Applicant might be required to produce income proof to prove his/her repayment ability.

The subsidy is applicable to works relating to demolition of unauthorized building works of individual units or works related to safety, hygiene and environment.

Applicant must commence the home renovation works after receipt of the written approval from the Urban Renewal Authority.

After the completion of the approved works, loans will be deposited into the bank account under the name of the applicant.

In general, all repairs works must be commenced upon receipt of approval from the Urban Renewal Authority (URA). Applicant may make a request to the URA if an emergency situation encounters and provide relevant documents for consideration.

Application for Water Safety Plan Subsidy Scheme (“WSPSS”) is on a per building basis. The ceilings are calculated based on the average annual rateable value of all the domestic units of a building as of 2022/23. Buildings completed after 2022/23 will be considered by WSD on a case-by-case basis. Applicants of those buildings can make applications for WSD's consideration.

Village houses are generally of three storeys or less. As the internal plumbing systems of these buildings are relatively simple and the portions of communal parts are insignificant, the water safety risk of their internal plumbing systems is relatively low. Hence, WSPSS does not cover those buildings with three storeys or less. The drinking water safety of these buildings could be enhanced by making reference to the relevant measures available at WSD’s webpage.

Implementation of WSPB involves the internal plumbing system of the whole building, which requires the concerted efforts of property owners. Therefore, buildings with OCs, owners’ committees or CBSs should be more competent in implementing the various measures as required under WSPB due to their better organisation abilities. For buildings without OCs, owners’ committees or CBSs, WSD will consider on a case-by-case basis.

Buildings without OCs, owners’ committees or CBSs can provide information of the contact person in the application form for contact purpose. WSD will consider the application on a case-by-case basis.

WSD’s social service team will also offer assistance to those property owners of buildings in need.

Please refer to the table below:

1. appointed in accordance with Deed of Mutual Covenant (“DMC”)
2. appointed in accordance with the Building Management Ordinance (Cap. 344) and the DMC

For details, please refer to paragraph 3 of “Application Notes for Water Safety Plan Subsidy Scheme”.

WSPSS is operated on a first-come-first-served basis with a view to encouraging property owners of eligible buildings to formulate and implement WSPB as early as possible.

For details, please refer to paragraph 2.4 of “Application Notes for Water Safety Plan Subsidy Scheme”.

Qualified persons (“QPs”) provide WSPB related services to property owners and management agents, including water safety risk assessment for formulation of WSPB and specific checkings on internal plumbing system of the building. It would require around 2 to 3 man-days for a building with general internal plumbing layout, whereas it may take a longer time for a more complicated internal plumbing system. We organise training sessions and workshops on WSPB via accredited training institutions to train up QPs.

All new and renewal applications of Quality Water Supply Scheme for Buildings – Fresh Water (Management System) (“QMS”) submitted on or after 1 July 2020 shall require a QP, who is on the List of Qualified Persons Trained in Water Safety Plan for Buildings and passed the assessments, to certify the relevant parts of the documents. For enquiry of the list of trained QPs, please refer to this link: List of Qualified Persons Trained in Water Safety Plan for Buildings.

For details of the QPs, please visit WSD webpage “Qualified Persons”.

Applicant can apply for subsidies under different subsidy schemes for carrying out building rehabilitation / rectification works for buildings (including rectification works of internal plumbing systems), e.g. “Common Area Repair Works Subsidy” launched by the Urban Renewal Authority, etc. If the building rehabilitation / rectification works concerned are measures recommended in the water safety risk assessment with an aim to control water safety risks, additional subsidy from WSPSS can be granted for carrying out the rectification works. However, the applicant shall avoid receipt of double benefit, i.e. receipt of subsidy or grant on the same works item from both WSPSS and other schemes. For works item already having subsidy or grant approved under other scheme, subsidy for the same works item will not be approved under WSPSS.

To encourage property owners and management agents to implement WSPB, WSD launched QMS in November 2017 to issue certificates to recognise the property owners and management agents’ efforts in the implementation of WSPB.

For details of the QMS, please visit WSD webpage “Quality Water Supply Scheme for Buildings – Fresh Water (Management System)”.

WSD has paid particular attention to property owners’ affordability during the formulation of the scheme and thus believed that implementing WSPB would not cause great burden on the property owners. Except for water safety risk assessment and annual specific checkings on internal plumbing system which have to be conducted by QP, other measures under WSPB can actually be integrated into the routine operation and maintenance works in property management of the building.

Rectification works may be required for internal plumbing system as recommended in water risk assessment and the cost of such works depends on the scale of the works recommended. Normally, the works required for controlling water safety risks are of limited scale, which generally include addition of meshes to overflowing pipes, replacement of tank covers, replacement of plumbing fittings (non-return valves), etc. The cost to be involved is unlikely to be significant. Despite this, we have allowed subsidy provisions under the scheme for the need of carrying out larger scale plumbing works, e.g. replacement of aged pipes, water tanks, etc. The cap of the relevant subsidy under WSPSS should generally be able to subsidise wholly the rectification works required for implementation of WSPB. However, in case largescale plumbing works are required to be implemented, the property owners should have to bear the cost in exceedance of the subsidy cap.

The applicant shall apply to WSD by submitting the duly completed claim form and all necessary documentary proofs, including but not limited to: bank statement within nearly 3 months, original payment receipts or invoices, and copy of payment vouchers, etc. , for the release of subsidies upon completion of the relevant items under WSPSS. WSD will release the subsidies to the applicant after verification of all the documentary proofs of the relevant items, e.g. WSPB, actual works programme indicating the completed recommended items of rectification works. As long as the claim amount does not exceed the corresponding subsidy cap, an item can be fully reimbursed.

For details, please refer to paragraph 6 of “Application Notes for Water Safety Plan Subsidy Scheme”.

Implementation of WSPB is voluntary and mainly focuses on the control of water safety risks of the building rather than unveiling non-compliance in the internal plumbing system. Nevertheless, it is the responsibility of the property owners to properly manage and maintain the internal plumbing system and take appropriate corrective actions against any non-compliance found.

WSPB audit is for the sake of continuous improvement. It shall be carried out at least once every two years and conducted by an independent party who have not participated in the formulation or implementation of WSPB for the building to be audited. The independent party can either be an outside party engaged solely for the task or a person already immersed in the day-to-day property management of the building. Preferably, the independent party shall have undergone training related to internal audit of quality management system. WSPB audit aims to verify the effectiveness of its implementation and identify areas for improvement so as to enhance its implementation in future.

Participating buildings under WSPSS are obliged to implement WSPB properly. Except for very special circumstances, WSD reserves the right to recover any subsidises released for building withdraws from WSPSS during the subsidy period.

WSD will engage consultants to examine the scope of rectification works recommended by QPs in the water safety risk assessments. Moreover, WSD will randomly select participating buildings for checking whether there are any omissions in the WSPBs formulated by QPs. Property owners and management agents can also lodge complaint to WSD on the professional performance of the QPs. WSD will conduct necessary investigation and follow up action.

Under the WSPSS, the applicant can only apply for the release of subsidies for the relevant items in implementation of WSPB after obtaining a valid certificate for QMS.

Applicants of those buildings can submit a written letter with brief description of relevant reasons for granting extension of time for our consideration. It will be considered by WSD on a case-by-case basis.

The applicant shall additionally engage a QP for conducting water safety risk assessment on the newly identified defective internal plumbing system and suggesting new scope of rectification works for submission to WSD. WSD will arrange a consultant for assessing the new scope of recommended items. As long as the subsidy amount of those new recommended item(s) does not exceed the corresponding subsidy cap, those item(s) can be fully reimbursed.

Generally, the applicant could apply release of the approved subsidy amount of the recommended items of rectification works in stages (frequency not less than one month) in the form of reimbursement according to the actual progress of works. Upon completion of all the approved recommended items of rectification works, the applicant could apply for an accumulated maximum payment of 80% of the subsidy amount for the completed recommended items of rectification works. The applicant could only apply for release of the remaining 20% of the approved subsidy amount after completion of all the recommended items of rectification works. The applicant shall submit the actual works programme for indicating the completed recommended items of rectification works, duly completed claim form and all necessary documentary proofs, including but not limited to: bank statement within nearly 3 months, original payment receipts or invoices, and copy of payment vouchers, etc. . WSD will release the subsidies regarding the recommended items after verification of all the documentary proofs. As long as the claim amount does not exceed the corresponding subsidy cap, the items can be fully reimbursed after completion of all the recommended items of rectification works.

The release of subsidy in the second-stage requires that within 54 months from the day a resolution was passed at the owners' meeting / CBS General Meeting to set up a special fund, the amount of contributions collected in the special fund account must is at least 80% of the amount of contributions that should be made during this three-year period, as approved by the owners' meeting, and cannot exceed the maximum subsidy amount set according to the number of units.

If within 54 months from the day of the resolution to set up the special fund, the total remaining balance in the special fund has not reached 80% of the total contribution amount, it will not meet the requirements for the release of subsidy  of the second-stage. Therefore, it is recommended that applicants carry out full contributions according to the planned maintenance as estimated in the Building Maintenance Manual.

However, the cap of the subsidy amount needs to be determined according to the number of units in the building.

• Applicant must use the sample document and according to the guidelines issued by the Urban Renewal Authority to appoint the consultant, and use the "E-Tendering Platform" provided by the Urban Renewal Authority to appoint an "Authorized Person" to coordinate the production of the building maintenance manual for the building, and submit an application before starting the tendering process to appoint the AP. 
• Unless the applicant has already commissioned an "Authorized Person" or started the relevant tendering process before April 1, 2024, the relevant procurement process needs to be confirmed by the Urban Renewal Authority to comply with the requirements of the Building Management Ordinance (Chapter 344) and the Deed of Mutual Covenant (if applicable). Otherwise, the applicant must use the "E-Tendering Platform" provided by the Urban Renewal Authority.

Yes, if a building has not formed an Owners' Corporation, the building should be held by a Civil Servants’ Co-operative Building Society or have property management services provided by a licensed property management company. And the applicants must be the Civil Servants’ Co-operative or all owners.

Once the applicant has set up a special fund, there is no restriction on the applicant withdrawing deposits from the special fund during the fundraising period. However, in order to meet the requirements for the release of subsidy in the second stage, the amount of contributions collected in the special fund account must reach 80% of the contribution amount that should be made during this three-year period as passed by the owners' meeting.

However, building owners under the Urban Renewal Authority need to set up arrangements for the use of the special fund in accordance with the requirements of the Building Management Ordinance (Cap 344), specifying that the special fund should be used to pay for the cost of repair work for the building.

The subsidies of this "Scheme" will be divided into two stages:

1. Provide subsidy to eligible applicants to appoint an "Authorized Person" to review and collect data on the structure, equipment, and facilities of the common parts of the building in accordance with the requirements of this Scheme, including the necessary ancillary work, and to produce a building maintenance manual using the template provided by the Urban Renewal Authority.
2. Provide incentive subsidy to eligible applicants to encourage the set up of a special fund for their building, and to make regular contributions according to the estimated expenditure of the maintenance items in the building maintenance manual for future payment of related costs.

Under this "Scheme", the Urban Renewal Authority (URA) will process applications according to various factors including building conditions and building organization. These include 1) age of the building, 2) number of units, 3) building management conditions, and 4) whether the building has finished comprehensive rehabilitation work and regular maintenance work, etc.

The "Scheme" suggests that the applicant should open a new bank account for the special fund to facilitate the operation of the account and provide the account balance to the Urban Renewal Authority for approval when applying for the release of subsidy in the second-stage.

First stage subsidy – Preparation of Building Maintenance Manual:

Second stage subsidy – Set-up of Special Fund:

Yes, if the applicant of this "Scheme" to appoint an “Authorized Person” to produce a building maintenance manual for the common areas of the building, and the consultant fee is obtain the subsidy from other schemes, the Urban Renewal Authority will deduct the subsidies or allowances obtained from other scheme for the same service item to ensure no double subsidies are granted.

For buildings with an owners’ corporation (“OC”), the OC shall be the applicant who submits the application to the URA. The applicant must submit a copy of the notice and the minutes of the owners' meeting together with the application form. For details of the resolutions that need to be passed, please refer to the application form.

For buildings owned by cooperatives or buildings provided with property management services by property management companies with a valid property management company license, the building owners should, depending on the situation, appoint and authorize the relevant persons to act as the applicant's representative, responsible for handling all matters related to the application and subsidy scheme. Please refer to Annex 1 " Application Notes for building without Owners’ Corporation" in the application form. However, for arrangements to apply for "this Scheme" through passed meeting resolutions, building owners can refer to the terms and requirements of the "Deed of Mutual Covenant" or the said Rules or related CBS by-laws.

The "Scheme" began accepting applications in April 2024 and there is currently no application deadline. However, the Urban Renewal Authority encourages owners to make financial arrangements for the next maintenance cycle as soon as possible. Establishing a special fund and making regular contributions can effectively achieve interest accumulation and compounding effects, so it is recommended to apply as early as possible.

No.

The subsidy will be released in stages

• First stage subsidy – Preparation of Building Maintenance Manual

To appoint "Authorized Person" to produce a building maintenance manual. At the owner's meeting, a resolution must be passed to establish a special fund and make regular contributions for the cost of the maintenance works mentioned in the building maintenance manual. Applicants must submit the First Stage claim form along with relevant documents to the Urban Renewal Authority office in person or by mail.

• Second stage subsidy – Set-up of Special Fun

Within 6 months after the third year of the date of the contribution schedule, applicants must submit the Second Stage claim form along with relevant documents to the Urban Renewal Authority office in person or by mail.

The amount of subsidy from the "Scheme" will be released to the applicants in lump sum by stages. If all documents are in order, applicants generally receive the subsidy within a month.