The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government launched a monthlong public consultation on its proposed legislative amendments to the Building Management Ordinance on Wednesday, aiming to enhance the involvement of flat owners in building management and the transparency of renovation projects.

This is to address the public concerns that emerged after 168 people were killed in a blaze that engulfed the eight-towered Wang Fuk Court housing estate in November last year. The estate was being renovated at the time.

The blaze exposed serious building management failures, including alleged bid-rigging in the maintenance market and manipulation of proxy votes that allowed vote-rigging, as well as unclear responsibilities over large-scale building maintenance works for property management companies.

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In an interview with Radio Television Hong Kong, Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak Mei-kuen said this is the second time the current administration has sought to amend legislation since taking office.

The five main areas the revisions target is raising the attendance rate and voting thresholds for owners’ meetings on major maintenance and high-value procurements, improving the system for proxy votes, optimizing the declaration of interests’ system, strengthening the powers of the authority, and clarifying meeting procedures.

The goal, Mak said, is to keep pace with changing building management needs and public expectations, and to encourage more flat owners to personally attend owners’ meetings, participate in, and pay closer attention to building management matters.

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Mak said that since outlining the five main directions of the legislative amendments to the Legislative Council in February, the bureau immediately embarked on preliminary consultation efforts, including gathering views from stakeholders such as the property management sector and lawmakers, and putting forward additional proposals.

Using the proposed reforms on proxy votes as an example, the new amendment suggests setting a cap on the number of proxy votes each individual can hold, and requiring both the owner and the authorized proxy to sign the forms.

These measures, she added, are intended to reassure owners’ worries about a single person wielding a large number of proxies.

Mak noted the consultation highlights challenges like proxy vote reforms, where calls for tighter restrictions clash with property managers’ concerns over meeting quorums. The government therefore seeks balanced views via public consultation to craft workable solutions that boost owner participation.

Contact the writer at stacyshi@chinadailyhk.com