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Leopold Chen

Some residents left homeless by Hong Kong’s deadliest inferno in decades have called for merging the Housing Bureau’s Independent Checking Unit (ICU) with the Buildings Department after a public inquiry revealed communication failures between them.
In recommendations submitted to the independent committee investigating the Wang Fuk Court fire, which were released on Saturday, legal representatives for nine residents said folding the ICU into the department would reduce regulatory overlap.
“Given the systemic defects and collaborative failures as revealed by the fire, we recommend that the work of the Independent Checking Unit be handed to the Buildings Department, to reduce redundancy and avoid any errors caused by delays in information flow,” they said.
The inferno that broke out at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po on November 26 last year killed 168 people and displaced nearly 5,000. The eight blocks were undergoing renovation at the time.
Following the disaster, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu ordered the establishment of the judge-led independent committee to investigate the cause of the fire. The panel conducted 30 sessions involving 80 witnesses starting in March.
The committee heard that the checking unit failed to carry out effective investigation and supervision of non-compliant materials despite repeated complaints from residents.
Under the city’s laws, buildings constructed by the government, including Home Ownership Scheme complexes such as Wang Fuk Court, are not subject to Buildings Department regulations, and the checking unit is tasked with supervising construction works at these structures.

A memorandum of understanding between the two arms stipulates that the ICU’s checking practices should be aligned with those of the department.
The unit came under fire for approving the project contractor’s removal of fire-rated windows at Wang Fuk Court, which were installed in emergency staircases, to allow workers easy access to scaffolding. The approval was given without a site inspection.
The committee heard that such temporary openings had allowed heat, fire and toxic smoke to enter the staircases, hampering residents’ escape.
ICU officers who testified before the panel said the department had been sampling 20 per cent of minor works applications for on-site inspections since 2023, but had only notified the unit of the practice in December last year, after the blaze.
They argued that had the department promptly updated the ICU on the practice, the problem of the temporary openings could have been addressed.
“If the ICU’s understanding of its role is primarily limited to following the Buildings Department’s established policies and practices, then its institutional design as an independent entity warrants review,” the residents said.
“It might be more direct and efficient to directly incorporate its responsibilities into the Buildings Department’s jurisdiction.”
If the proposal was not accepted, the ICU should step up random site inspections, they added.
The committee also released the government’s submission on steps it had taken in response to the fire.
Authorities said the ICU had increased its frequency of site inspections and had held more meetings with the department.
The residents also called for establishing the right for homeowners to access tender documents so they could make informed decisions on major renovation projects.
They also urged the Urban Renewal Authority, which helps homeowners assess tenders in the enhanced Smart Tender system, to establish more transparent monitoring and complaint mechanisms in cases involving disputes over project contracts and complaints about the performance of consultants.


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Bamboo scaffolding on the exterior of the Wang Fuk Court towers in January. Photo: Elson Li

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Hong Kong

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Some Wang Fuk Court residents question why team tasked with inspecting construction projects should remain under Housing Bureau


Some Wang Fuk Court residents question why team tasked with inspecting construction projects should remain under Housing Bureau.


Hong Kong fires and safety

Housing Department

Call to merge housing checking unit with Buildings Department after Tai Po fire

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Some Wang Fuk Court residents question why team tasked with inspecting construction projects should remain under Housing Bureau

Some Wang Fuk Court residents question why team tasked with inspecting construction projects should remain under Housing Bureau