In January 2022, the New Territories West Regional Joint Office (JO) received a water seepage complaint from a private residential estate in Tsuen Wan.
The JO staff visited the complainant’s flat for an investigation and found water seepage at the ceiling. The complainant said that he/she informed the management office of the water seepage a week before. When the JO staff told the complainant that they would carry out Stage II investigation in the flat upstairs, the complainant questioned why Stage II and Stage III investigations could not be carried out on the same day. The JO staff then patiently explained the JO’s workflow to the complainant.
Having received the appointment notice, the occupants living in the flat upstairs contacted the JO staff and arranged for colour water tests. The occupants told us that they had been seriously troubled by the incident which had also fractured their neighbourhood relationship with the complainant. They said that the management office failed to offer any assistance to resolve the water seepage problem, and the rampant COVID-19 epidemic had also prevented the engineering company from carrying out repairs in their flat before the Lunar New Year. It had led to numerous arguments with the complainant and even required Police intervention. Eventually, the occupants living in the flat upstairs said that thanks to the JO’s intervention and investigation by acting as the bridge of communication with the complainant, disputes among them due to miscommunication had been substantially reduced. Meanwhile, the occupants living in the flat upstairs had also arranged for the engineering company to carry out the relevant works in their flat after the Lunar New Year, and marked improvement could be seen as far as water seepage was concerned.
Although the occupants living in the flat upstairs had taken the initiative to follow up on the water seepage and completed the relevant repairs before the JO identified the source of water seepage, my co-ordination had made them understand their responsibility to resolve water seepage, and mended the damaged neighbourhood relationship between the two sides. The win-win situation accomplished in the end had given the JO staff a sense of joy and happiness when they were carrying out their duties.