Buildings-repair body 'to operate on user-pays basis'

The new Building Maintenance Support and Services Council will operate on a non-profit basis but must recover costs on a user-pays basis, Financial Secretary Paul Chan said on Saturday, as the government moves to set it up in response to the independent committee report on the Wang Fuk Court fire. The council will guide owners through the full cycle of building repairs – handling tendering and evaluation on their behalf – for a fee. Chan told a Commercial Radio programme that the non-statutory company, wholly owned by Financial Secretary Incorporated, must recover costs, as owners are responsible for maintaining private residential properties. He said the fees would depend on the scope of the works and would cost roughly several thousand dollars per flat. "We understand that Hong Kong has many old districts, and some buildings are quite old," Chan said. "Many elderly people live there, and they may not be able to fully afford the fees. So in these areas, the government can provide some subsidies." For better-off owners, professional guidance matters more than cash subsidies, so a one-size-fits-all subsidy ratio would not be appropriate, Chan pointed out. He said a pre-screened list of professionals and contractors would be published for...