Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
LCQ8: Water seepage problems in public housing
Year Among the cases being processed as of 2025, 419 were received after November 2025 and are still being processed mainly because the property owners could not cater inspection arrangements or repair schedules. There are no cases remained unsolved for an extended period of time. Over 60 per cent of the cases were found in estates built over thirty years ago, with the source of leakage most commonly found on bathroom floor surfaces or walls. The primary causes include ageing of waterproofing layers, natural deterioration of building materials, or damage to waterproofing layers or pipes during renovations arranged by tenants. The HKHA will generally re-lay waterproofing layers to affected areas to resolve the issue. The HD will continue to actively co-ordinate inspection and repair arrangements and facilitate successful completion of cases by enforcement measures.
Furthermore, to facilitate the smooth handling of water seepage or leakage issues, the HD will enforce the Marking Scheme for Estate Management Enforcement against PRH tenants who refuse to co-operate with inspections or repairs. Under this Scheme, refusal to allow the HKHA or its authorised representatives to conduct leakage inspections or carry out works within their units will incur a deduction of seven points. Over the past three years, the HD has deducted points from 21 PRH tenants for the aforesaid reason.
Year The majority of the aforementioned cases about SSF involved minor issues, such as debris left in window frames during construction or adjustments to window hinges affecting the seal, leading to slight water seepage in winds and rains, etc. No serious problem was found, and all cases were resolved. Given the minor nature of the required repairs, over 90 per cent of the cases were completed within seven days after the arrangement of repairs was confirmed. The remaining individual cases were basically completed within 14 days.
(3) and (4) The HKHA has always placed great emphasis on the construction quality of public housing and maintains a rigorous system for monitoring contractors’ workmanship. The Specification Library issued by the HD stipulates the building materials and workmanship specifications; testing methods; and acceptance standards under new development works contracts. The HKHA requires contractors to complete works in accordance with approved quality standards and contractual provisions regarding workmanship and building materials prior to handover. For all newly completed public housing units, the HD conducts watertightness tests on windows by nozzles with pressure from the outside, as well as simulated shower spray tests on waterproof areas in bathrooms. In response to recent concerns about water seepage through pipe sleeves penetrating walls, we have enhanced the existing acceptance procedures by adding watertightness tests by nozzles with pressure for pipe sleeves and random inspections prior to project completion and handover. Furthermore, additional random inspections are conducted on pipe sleeves for each project to thoroughly inspect whether the packing around the sleeves is fully filled, thereby strengthening quality control and eradicating instances of water seepage.Issued at HKT 16:54