How to settle water seepage in residential flats?

Food and Environmental Hygiene Department

The Joint Office (JO), set up by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) and the Buildings Department, implemented the new procedures for investigating water seepage in private buildings (new procedures) from 16 July 2026. Under the new procedures, if there is reasonable belief that the water seepage is caused by the upper unit, a “Notification Letter” will be issued to the upper unit, requiring the upper unit to carry out inspection and repair works within 28 calendar days.

Ways for property owners to settle water seepage in residential flats

Basically water seepage in residential flats belongs to building management and maintenance problem and property owners have the major responsibility to solve the problem.
You should quickly approach your neighbour for investigation and repair work to resolve the problem if the seepage is suspected to originate from the flat on the upper floor or next door.
- Owners should directly engage a building technician or licensed plumber to identify the cause of seepage for prompt repairs.
- Please also refer to the investigation methods in the “Do It Yourself to Investigate Water Seepage” pamphlet published by the Joint Office (JO) set up by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) and the Buildings Department (BD).
Assistance may be sought from the management firm or the Owners' Corporation of your building. Where necessary, you should with the engagement of a building professional or legal consultant request the responsible person to stop the seepage in accordance with the provisions under the Deed of Mutual Covenant, or even lodge a claim for damages.

Assistance provided by government departments

If you cannot resolve the problem of water seepage with your neighbour, please contact the Joint Office (JO) set up by the FEHD and the BD for assistance:
- The JO will carry out a preliminary investigation. If the seepage has posed a sanitary nuisance, the JO will act in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance. If the seepage is mild or intermittent or if the source of seepage cannot be identified after investigation, government intervention will cease.
The JO will handle all water seepage cases received from 16 July 2026 onwards according to the new procedures. The steps of the new procedures are as follows:

Stages	Follow-up actions taken by JO
Stage I	The staff of JO acknowledges the receipt of the case and arranges for a site visit to the unit affected by water seepage (including non-office hours). If there is reasonable belief that the water seepage is caused by the upper unit, a“Notification Letter” will be issued to the upper unit, requiring the upper unit to carry out inspection and repair works within 28 calendar days.
Stage 2 and Stage 3 (note)	If seepage persists after the deadline, the JO will conduct with Stage 2 initial investigation and Stage 3 professional investigation in parallel. The FEHD staff of JO carries out an investigation in the unit suspected to be causing water seepage. A colour water test is conducted to identify the source of water seepage. For details on the colour water test, please refer to the “Do It Yourself to Investigate Water Seepage” pamphlet. In parallel, JO will carry out Stage 3 investigation and BD issues a letter to the complainant informing him of the officer in-charge or the designated private consulting firm for his case. The BD staff of JO or the designated consultant conducts professional testing in the unit suspected to be causing water seepage to identify its source. Subsequently, based on the investigation results and in accordance with the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance (Cap. 132), the JO will issue a “Nuisance Notice” requiring the abatement of the water seepage nuisance within a specified period. After the deadline, the JO will conduct a review and, if necessary, carry out confirmatory testing; institute prosecution based on evidence for cases of non-compliance and further apply to the court for a “Nuisance Order”; and recover the examination costs from the owners of the units who fail to fulfill their responsibilities.

Stages

Follow-up actions taken by JO

Stage I

The staff of JO acknowledges the receipt of the case and arranges for a site visit to the unit affected by water seepage (including non-office hours). If there is reasonable belief that the water seepage is caused by the upper unit, a“Notification Letter” will be issued to the upper unit, requiring the upper unit to carry out inspection and repair works within 28 calendar days.

Stage 2 and Stage 3 (note)

If seepage persists after the deadline, the JO will conduct with Stage 2 initial investigation and Stage 3 professional investigation in parallel.
The FEHD staff of JO carries out an investigation in the unit suspected to be causing water seepage. A colour water test is conducted to identify the source of water seepage. For details on the colour water test, please refer to the “Do It Yourself to Investigate Water Seepage” pamphlet.
In parallel, JO will carry out Stage 3 investigation and BD issues a letter to the complainant informing him of the officer in-charge or the designated private consulting firm for his case. The BD staff of JO or the designated consultant conducts professional testing in the unit suspected to be causing water seepage to identify its source.
Subsequently, based on the investigation results and in accordance with the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance (Cap. 132), the JO will issue a “Nuisance Notice” requiring the abatement of the water seepage nuisance within a specified period. After the deadline, the JO will conduct a review and, if necessary, carry out confirmatory testing; institute prosecution based on evidence for cases of non-compliance and further apply to the court for a “Nuisance Order”; and recover the examination costs from the owners of the units who fail to fulfill their responsibilities.

(Note) Under the new procedures, the basic investigation in Stage 2 and the professional investigation in Stage 3, which were previously carried out sequentially, will now be conducted concurrently after the completion of the Stage I investigation. This simultaneous approach will accelerate the water seepage investigation process.

Time required by the JO to investigate the cause of water seepage

The JO will contact the complainant within six working days upon receipt of a complaint.
- The staff will first inspect the site and then enter the flat under complaint to carry out non-destructive tests systematically so as to identify the seepage source.
- With the co-operation of the concerned owners/occupiers, normally the JO will complete the investigation and inform the complainant of the outcome within 90 working days.
If the investigation cannot be completed within 90 working days:
- the JO will notify the complainant of the investigation progress in writing.
- If the owner/occupant concerned refuses to co-operate, the investigation process may be extended as the JO will have to apply to the Court for a warrant to enter the flat in question.

Statutory powers to stop water seepage

The JO has been authorised to enforce the relevant provisions of the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance. Where the source of seepage is identified, the Office can issue:

a Nuisance Notice to the person concerned requiring the abatement of nuisance within a specified period of time, failing which the person will be subject to prosecution. Upon conviction, the person concerned is liable to a maximum fine of HK$25,000 and a daily fine of HK$450 if nuisance persists; and
the JO may also apply to the Court for a Nuisance Order requiring the person concerned to abate the nuisance. Failure to comply with the order will result in prosecution. Upon conviction, the penalty will be a maximum fine of HK$50,000 and a daily fine of HK$600 if nuisance persists.