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Operation Building Bright 2.0 

 

[Application for the 3rd Round "Operation Building Bright 2.0"

(For Category 1 Buildings Only) has been closed on 30 September 2023]

 

Purpose


With a view to safeguarding public safety, the Hong Kong government injected HK$6 billion and partnered with the Urban Renewal Authority (“URA”) to implement “Operation Building Bright 2.0” (“OBB 2.0”), assisting the owner-occupiers of eligible residential or composite buildings to act in compliance with the requirements under the Mandatory Building Inspection Scheme (“MBIS”). 

 

Target Buildings
There are two categories of buildings applicable under the third round of OBB 2.0:

 

Category 1
Category 1 covers buildings whose owners or owners' organisations are prepared to carry out the prescribed inspection and repair works involving the common parts of their buildings on a voluntary basis in accordance with the requirements under the MBIS;

 

The completed Application Form and necessary supporting documents must be returned to URA on or before 30 September 2023.

 

Eligibility Criteria (For Category 1 Buildings Only)
Building applying for the third round of OBB2.0 must meet all of the following criteria:

 

1. The building is a private residential (including a building held by a Civil Servants' Co-operative Building Society (“CBS”)) or composite (commercial & residential) building aged 30 or above according to the Occupation Permit,  i.e. the date of the Occupation Permit shall be 30 September 1993 or before; and 

 

2. The average annual rateable value of domestic units in the building which sited in urban areas (including Shatin, Kwai Tsing, Tsuen Wan) should not exceed HK$187,000 or should not exceed HK$143,000 if the building sited in the New Territories; and 

 

3. Meet the requirements from para. 3.1 or para. 3.2 below
3.1     Building aged 40 or above 
Regardless of whether the building owners have received statutory notice(s) or pre-notification letter(s) issued by BD for mandatory inspection of the common parts of the building, the owners' organisations/owners are prepared to carry out the prescribed inspection and repair works in accordance with the requirements under the MBIS, but the compliance letter(s) confirming the completion and compliance of the prescribed inspection and prescribed repairs under the MBIS requirements had not been issued by BD/ Independent Checking Unit as of 6 January 2023; or 


3.2     Building aged between 30 or above 
BD/ Independent Checking Unit has issued statutory notice(s) or pre-notification letter(s) for mandatory inspection of the common parts of the building, but the compliance letter(s) confirming the completion and compliance of the prescribed inspection and prescribed repairs under the MBIS requirements had not been issued by BD/ Independent Checking Unit as of 6 January 2023; and

 

4.   Unless the owners or the owners’ organisation thereof have invited tenders for contract of repair works on or before 6 January 2023 and the tendering process has been verified by URA as in conformity with the relevant requirements in the Building Management Ordinance (Cap. 344) and the Deed of Mutual Covenants of the building (if applicable). Contracts of inspection service and repair works must be procured through URA’s fee-charged service known as the “Smart Tender Building Rehabilitation Facilitating Services Scheme” (“Smart Tender”).

 

Owner's organisations and Applicant's Representatives
•    For building with owners’ corporation (OC), the OC shall be the Applicant who submit the application to the URA.

 

•    For buildings without an OC or those held by CBS, all owners collectively or the CBS (as the case may be) shall be the Applicant who submit the application to URA. Please read the “Application Notes for building without Owners’ Corporation” in Annex I to the IBRAS Application Form for the application requirements and details
 

 

Category 2
Category 2 covers buildings which have not complied with the outstanding MBIS statutory notices but the owners or owners’ organisations concerned have difficulties in coordinating the prescribed inspection and repair works for the common parts of the buildings and are selected by Buildings Department (“BD”) based on risk assessment. For Category 2 buildings, BD will exercise its statutory power to arrange consultants and contractors to carry out the necessary inspection and repair works on behalf of the owners.

 

Use of Subsidy
  
Common Parts of the Building
 1. The subsidy must first be used on the prescribed inspection and repair works for the common parts of the building under MBIS and Mandatory Window Inspection Scheme (MWIS). All works must be carried out in compliance with the requirements of MBIS and MWIS. 
  
 2. After paying for the “Priority Works” mentioned above, the remaining part of the subsidy can be used for the following building repair works but do not fall within the category of “Priority Works”, including:

 

 (a) Install the common drain pipe of the air conditioner (recommended to be installed by the owner);

(b) Fire safety improvement works, such as means of escape, means of access for fire-fighting & rescue and fire resisting construction;
 (c) Provision of, improvement to and maintenance of fire service installations and equipment of the building;
 (d) Removal of unauthorised building works and illegal rooftop structures;
 (e) Improvement of building and sanitary services, e.g. the installation or replacement of rat guards, repairing, maintaining and replacing lifts, fire services installations and equipment, electrical installations, gas risers and communal aerial system, and replacing defective fresh water pipes;
 (f) Repair of water-proofing membranes at rooftops and flat roofs and works to alleviate water seepage problem;
 (g) Provision, improvement and repair of common water tanks;
 (h) Repair or replacement of defective metal works/carpentry;
 (i) Provision, improvement and repair of barrier free access and facilities;
 (j) Provision, improvement and repair of security system of the building;
 (k) Maintenance works for slopes or retaining walls around the building; and
 (l) Application of environmental friendly material in repair works and installation of green/ environmental friendly facilities or fittings.
  
3. The inspection, professional services and any associated or follow-up works arising from the works mentioned above may also be subsidised.

 

Private Projecting Structures
Apart from mandatory inspection and repair works for the common parts of the buildings, Statutory Notices may also be issued to owners of individual premises requesting them to inspect and repair their private projecting structures. In this regard, OBB 2.0 offers subsidies to the owner-occupiers of the participating buildings for inspection and repair works for their private projecting structures.

 

Target Beneficiaries and Level of Subsidy
Once the application is approved, the owner-occupiers may apply for the subsidies as set out below: 
  
 (a) For prescribed inspection and repair works for common parts of the buildings

Owner-occupied unit  Level of Subsidy
Owner-occupiers 80% of the cost of the relevant works, subject to a cap of HK$40,000 per unit
Elderly owner-occupiers aged 60 or above  100% of the cost of the relevant works, subject to a cap of HK$50,000 per unit

 (b) For prescribed inspection and repair works for private projecting structures
  
For owner-occupiers of the buildings, approved to participating 3rd Round of OBB 2.0 for carrying out prescribed inspection and repair works for common parts of the buildings may apply for the following subsidy if needed:

Owner-occupied unit   Level of Subsidy
All owner-occupiers 50% of the cost of the relevant works, subject to a cap of HK$6,000 per unit

Eligible owner-occupiers shall fill in and submit the “Application Form for Subsidy for Owner-Occupiers” to URA within the application period specified in “AN-OBB2.0(OO)”.

 

For CBS buildings approved for participating in OBB 2.0, members of the CBS may apply for subsidies for owner-occupiers/elderly owner-occupiers mentioned above for their units.

 

Other Subsidies
1. Eligible buildings may apply for subsidies under CAS and “Mandatory Building Inspection Subsidy Scheme” (“MBISS”) simultaneously for the owners of non-owner-occupied units. After receiving the subsidies specified in para. (a) above, the owner-occupiers shall not be entitled to the subsidies under CAS and MBISS for the works concerned.  The subsidy amount / maximum subsidy for a building under CAS and MBISS will be adjusted down in proportion to the number of owner-occupiers being subsidised under OBB2.0.

 

2. If the building is eligible for the Building Drainage System Repair Subsidy Scheme, the Applicant may make the application simultaneously. However, the relevant drainage works shall not duplicate with those approved under the third round of OBB 2.0. Please refer to “AN-DRS” (Chinese version only) for details.

 

3. If the building is eligible for the Fire Safety Improvement Works Subsidy Scheme (“FSW Scheme”), the Applicant may make the application simultaneously.  However, the relevant fire safety improvement works shall not duplicate with those approved under OBB 2.0. Please refer to “AN-FSWS” for details.

 

4. To encourage the formation of OCs by building owners for carrying out building repair works, any Applicant who is granted the Approval-in-Principle Letter in the second round of OBB 2.0 with Certificate of Registration of its OC issued within the 12 months prior to the deadline of application mentioned above shall be granted a subsidy of HK$3,000 under the Owners’ Corporation Formation Subsidy.

 

  • On-line briefing for "Operation Building Bright 2.0" & "Pre-qualification list for Contractor" on 27 April 202 (Chinese version only)

 

  • On-line briefing for "Operation Building Bright 2.0" & "Fire Safety Improvement Works Subsidy Scheme" on 3  April 2023 (Chinese version only)

Part 1: Briefings on "Operation Building Bright 2.0" & "Fire Safety Improvement Works Subsidy Scheme" and points to note - Urban  Renewal Authority

 

Part 2: Briefing on Mandatory Building Inspection Scheme (MBIS) and points to note- Buildings Department 

 

Part 3: Scope of Works Covered by the Subsidy and Workflow for Complying the Fire Safety Direction - Fire Services Department & Buildings Department 

 

Part 4: Powers and duties of an Owners' Corporation (OC) and Management Committee (MC) and points to note for procurement - Home Affairs Department 

 

Part 5: Briefings on RenoSafe Scheme, integrity maintenance and corruption prevention, Competition Ordinance and how to prevent bid-rigging and points to note- Hong Kong Police Force, ICAC and Competition Commission