In July 2023, the New Territories East Regional Joint Office (JO) received a water seepage complaint from a private housing estate in Sha Tin.
The flat concerned was a rental unit. The complainant learned that the tenant would like to terminate the tenancy due to water seepage and concrete spalling at the ceiling of the kitchen and bathroom. Living abroad, the complainant was extremely worried by the situation, and thus had no choice but to put aside his/her work immediately and return to Hong Kong from Canada to deal with it.
Acknowledging the situation of the complainant, the JO staff promptly arranged for tests with the complainant and the flat upstairs so as to complete most of the tests while the complainant was in Hong Kong. In addition, the JO staff provided suitable coordination between the complainant and the owner of the flat upstairs, and urged the owner of the flat upstairs to try engaging an engineering company to carry out repairs at his/her flat so as to resolve the problem swiftly.
Subsequently, the complainant commended the JO staff through email and expressed his/her appreciation and gratitude to the staff for his professionalism and attention to detail in his work. The complainant felt that the staff concerned could address the needs of people and explain all the details so patiently that the complainant had a thorough understanding of the test results. The complainant added that it was the proper work attitude for a civil servant in Hong Kong and he/she was full of confidence and gratitude to the JO team. The JO staff concerned truly appreciated the complainant for his/her compliments and would continue to maintain communication with the public in a proactive manner so as to expedite the handling of seepage cases.